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Organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council, Aspects welcomes visitors from across Northern Ireland and beyond, celebrating Irish writing in all its forms.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s programme is packed with events for all tastes – from poetry and nature writing to creative workshops, discussions, live music and podcast storytelling. Audiences can also enjoy in-conversation evenings with Eamon Carr, Se\u00e1n Farrell and Glenn Patterson, explore Bangor Abbey Graveyard tours and discover the work of emerging and established writers.<\/p>\n
Among the programme highlights:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Dara McAnulty at Clandeboye<\/strong> \u2013 Award-winning naturalist and writer Dara McAnulty launches his new book, A Wild Child\u2019s Guide to Nature at Night<\/em>, in the stunning surroundings of Clandeboye Estate. Dara will also join internationally acclaimed Bangor-based pianist Xenia Pestova Bennett for an intimate evening weaving together words, music and nature at Studio 1A.<\/li>\n
- David Trimble: Peacemaker<\/strong> \u2013 A special evening at Bangor Abbey, where author Stephen Walker will discuss his new book with former MP Lady Hermon, offering revealing insights into the life and legacy of the political leader.<\/li>\n
- Carol Drinkwater: One Summer in Provence<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Beloved actress and bestselling author Carol Drinkwater joins Aspects at Bangor Castle to discuss her new novel, a tale of betrayal, belonging, and unexpected love set on a sun-drenched vineyard in the south of France.<\/li>\n
- Remembering Michael Longley<\/strong> \u2013 This year, Aspects honours the late, legendary poet with two special events. A dedicated evening at Bangor Castle, will bring together his friends and fellow writers to share memories and readings, celebrating his life and work. A special exhibition by artist Pauline Little, inspired by Longley\u2019s poems, will run in Bangor Carnegie Library throughout September.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Gillian McCollum, said:
\n“Aspects Festival brings people together – readers, writers and anyone with a love of stories, to share in the joy of words and ideas. I\u2019d encourage everyone, whether you\u2019re a lifelong book lover or new to the festival, to come along and experience it for yourself.”<\/p>\nPatricia Hamilton, Festival Director, added:
\n“Aspects Festival has always been about connection – sparking conversations, celebrating voices from near and far, and creating space for audiences to explore new ideas. This year\u2019s programme captures that spirit more than ever, and we can\u2019t wait to welcome everyone to Bangor this September.”<\/p>\nAspects Festival runs from 24 September to 5 October 2025<\/strong> at venues across Bangor. The full line-up and tickets are available at: https:\/\/aspectsfestival.com\/whats-on<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bangor will once again become a hub for books, ideas and inspiration this autumn as Aspects Festival returns for its 34th year. Running from Wednesday 24 September to Sunday 5 October 2025, Northern Ireland\u2019s longest-running literature festival promises an unmissable line-up of acclaimed writers, live events and creative experiences. From author events to intimate workshops, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24323"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24325,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24323\/revisions\/24325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- David Trimble: Peacemaker<\/strong> \u2013 A special evening at Bangor Abbey, where author Stephen Walker will discuss his new book with former MP Lady Hermon, offering revealing insights into the life and legacy of the political leader.<\/li>\n