The fifth edition of this special partnership between Bealtaine and ILFDublin celebrates the influence writers have on each other across generations with a conversation between two poetic writers renowned for their narrative lyricism.

This year, writer Colm Tóibín and poet Padraig Regan read from their own and each other’s poetry, while reflecting on the creative process.

Tóibín, the new Laureate for Fiction and winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize for The Magician, breaks fresh ground with his debut poetry collection, Vinegar Hill. The collection’s lyric and narrative poems traverse physical locales and emotional landscapes, from Enniscorthy to Budapest to Los Angeles.

Padraig Regan was awarded the Clarissa Luard Award in 2021, having been nominated by Tóibín. Some Integrity is their debut collection. Regan has said that Tóibín’s work has “made it easier for younger queer writers like myself to find their place within Irish literary traditions.”

This is a unique opportunity to witness two gifted poets sharing their creative visions of the world and the artist’s place within it.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Colm Tóibín & Padraig Regan