Leading Irish fiction writers bring crime, romance and contemporary storytelling to Mullingar Literary Festival

Mullingar Literary Festival will welcome a strong line-up of Irish fiction writers this weekend, as Patricia Gibney, Susanne O’Leary, Caragh Maxwell and Sheila Killian join the 2026 programme for a series of free author events exploring crime, romance, contemporary fiction, memory, identity, history and the craft of storytelling.

The events form part of Mullingar Literary Festival 2026, which runs from Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5 - a weekend of books, writing, poetry, workshops, children’s events, competitions, music and live literary discussion to the town.

Patricia Gibney will return to the festival following her wonderful appearance last year, where she was warmly welcomed by an eager and excited hometown audience.

A bestselling Irish crime fiction author from Mullingar, Patricia is best known for her popular Detective Lottie Parker series, set in the fictional midlands town of Ragmullin. Her debut thriller, The Missing Ones, was published by Bookouture in 2017, introducing readers to the determined and complex detective who has since become a favourite with crime fiction fans.

Since then, the series has grown into an international success, and 16 Lottie Parker novels have been published as ebooks, print-on-demand and audio formats, alongside trade paperback editions from Sphere UK and Hachette Ireland. Patricia’s most recent published novel is The Family Secret, and her books have achieved multi-million-copy sales worldwide and been translated for multiple territories.

Patricia will appear ‘In Conversation’ with Zoe Ryan on Friday, July 3 at 8pm in Caffrey’s, Mount Street, Mullingar. The event will explore her writing genre, creative process, and the craft behind building suspense, atmosphere, pacing and emotional depth in crime fiction.

Also appearing at the festival is bestselling author Susanne O’Leary, widely regarded as a queen of Irish romance. Susanne is the author of more than 30 novels, mainly romantic fiction set in Ireland, particularly County Kerry, that have won readers around the world through warmth, humour, charm and feel-good storytelling.

Susanne will appear ‘In Conversation’ with Martina Maloney on Saturday, July 4 at 3pm in Caffrey’s. Audiences can look forward to an engaging discussion about her writing life, inspirations, the importance of place in her work, and the Kerry landscapes, villages and characters that have shaped so many of her novels.

On Friday at 7pm, Caragh Maxwell will appear at Caffrey’s, for a conversation about her debut novel Sugartown and the creative journey behind it. Based in Sligo, Caragh writes with clarity, intimacy and emotional depth, exploring themes of memory, identity, womanhood, belonging and the ways personal history shapes who we become.

Caragh graduated from the Trinity College Dublin MPhil in Creative Writing in 2023, and her work has appeared in The Irish Times, The Cormorant and other publications. Her debut, Sugartown, marks an important arrival in contemporary Irish fiction and was shortlisted for the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards.

On Sunday at 7pm, Sheila Killian will join Jimmy O’Connell for an ‘In Conversation’ event at Caffrey’s, discussing her latest novel Something Bigger. Inspired by real family history, the novel explores courage, conviction and resistance in 1920s Alabama, offering audiences a powerful insight into how personal history can become the foundation for fiction.

Sheila Killian is an author, poet and creative writing teacher whose work spans fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. Her writing has been recognised in competitions in Ireland and the UK, including the Seán O’Faoláin, Fish, Bedford and From the Well competitions, while her creative non-fiction has been broadcast on RTÉ and published in the national press.

A spokesperson for Mullingar Literary Festival said: “This year’s fiction programme shows the incredible range of Irish writing today, from Patricia Gibney’s gripping crime thrillers and Susanne O’Leary’s much-loved Irish romance to Caragh Maxwell’s contemporary literary fiction and Sheila Killian’s historically inspired storytelling. These events offer readers, writers and book clubs a chance to hear directly from authors about the stories, characters, places and creative decisions behind their work.”

The events will be of particular interest to crime readers, romance readers, fans of contemporary Irish fiction, aspiring writers, book clubs and anyone who enjoys hearing successful authors discuss the craft of storytelling.

All four events are free to attend, with audiences encouraged to arrive early as places may be limited.

See mullingarliteraryfestival.com and follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram.