Carlow-based Blacknight, Ireland’s largest website and domain registrar, is excited to announce headline sponsorship of the upcoming Town of Books Festival in neighbouring Graiguenamanagh from August 18th to August 20th. Both the festival and Blacknight are celebrating their respective 20th birthdays this year.
“We’re excited this book festival is happening in our own back garden,” said Michele Neylon, CEO of Blacknight. “As Blacknight celebrates its 20th birthday along with the festival, we’re delighted to be able to support a major cultural event taking place just down the road. We love sponsoring local arts events that make an impact on Ireland’s cultural life.”
During the festival, you can explore the medieval riverside town of Graiguenamanagh and shop for books in a fun environment. This event will showcase over 25 independent booksellers from all over Ireland, making it the perfect place to discover new, second-hand, antiquarian, children’s, and specialist books at a great price. Along with the book fair, the festival will feature a diverse range of activities like readings, creative workshops for all ages, live music, tempting foods, crafts, and entertainment.
Blacknight has long supported the arts in Ireland, and supporting this local literary festival is another way to support the rich cultural and intellectual life of Ireland. As a headline sponsor, Blacknight will be front and centre. They're also happy to be expanding their broadband service to areas throughout Graiguenamanagh.
The festival is a popular yearly attraction, drawing in numerous visitors over the weekend and providing a boost to both the local economy and tourism. It is a delightful experience for both locals and newcomers, with many visitors returning year after year. This year, the festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary, just like Blacknight, and is expected to be even bigger and more exciting, with the goal of increasing attendance and building on the event’s growing success.
“I’m proud to be from Graiguenamanagh and I’m excited to be giving back to my hometown,” said Paul Kelly, CTO of Blacknight. “As Graiguenamanagh grows to become a major tourist hub in this area, events like this are perfect for putting this idyllic place on the map.”
The festival commences on August 17th with a lineup of talented authors, including Edward Hayden in conversation with Rachel Doyle from the Arboretum discussing her new book. The bookshops will officially open from noon on Friday the 18th. The activities that follow from Friday to Sunday include heritage trail walks, exploring various stalls, an outdoor activity hub, an art exhibition, talks from renowned authors, and more. You can find the complete schedule here.
Graiguenamanagh, situated in the heart of the Barrow Valley in County Kilkenny, is always bustling with hillwalkers, cyclists, canoeists, boating enthusiasts, artists, and fishermen. The 2023 festival will take place from August 17th to 20th and draw people from all over Ireland for a rich cultural event. Come along and find your next great read!
About Blacknight: Based in Carlow, Blacknight is Ireland’s largest web host and domain registrar. It has also recently expanded into providing broadband services nationwide. 100% Irish owned, Blacknight is an ICANN accredited domain registrar and ISO-certified hosting company. Blacknight leads the way through innovation and is one of Europe’s most cutting-edge Internet companies.
About Blacknight
Blacknight (http://www.blacknight.com/) are an Irish based, ICANN accredited domain registrar and hosting company. Recipients of several awards for their revolutionary use of social media, Blacknight are one of Europe’s most cutting edge Internet companies. Blacknight constantly seek to lead the way by introducing innovative solutions for its client base and provide dedicated servers and co-location as well as a comprehensive range of Microsoft Windows and Linux based hosting services and domain name registration services to business globally. IP transit services and other solutions for more demanding business and academic customers are offered a la carte. Fibre broadband services for both business and domestic users are also available throughout most of Ireland.