Armagh is set to host the world’s biggest literary festival.
The Jaipur Literature Festival will arrive on these shores in May, and ABC Council’s economic development and regeneration committee has approved joining in an ‘Island of Ireland’ festival under the JLF name.
Established in 2006 by Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple, who remain its directors, the Jaipur Literature Festival is administered by Teamwork Arts, an event management company in New Delhi.
Its 2026 flagship event took place in Jaipur in January with over 350,000 attending.
JLF has international editions across several countries and regions including the United States, the UK, Spain, Australia and the Middle East.
In 2019, the festival took place in Northern Ireland, a two-day event in Belfast and Bellaghy, the home-place of Ireland’s own poetic genius Seamus Heaney.
Now a planned JLF ‘Island of Ireland’ festival is scheduled for May 2026.
And, due to its historical importance and its prominent role in building peace and reconciliation, organisers had requested that Armagh – the City of Saints and Scholars – be one of the host cities.
Brian Johnston, Council’s head of tourism, arts and culture, speaking at Tuesday’s committee sitting, explained it had been a fast turnaround, but he believed Armagh should play its part.
He told those present: “We were approached in November by the Jaipur Literary Festival, which is the biggest literary festival in the world. Every year they go into different countries and try and bring a programme forward.
“So they had approached the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Department for Foreign Affairs in Dublin and would like to bring that to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in this current year.
“They had approached us in November and then followed up, literally in the last week, with the anticipation that the festival will move from Belfast to Armagh City, to Dundalk, to Dublin.
“The plan is that they would like to use the Market Place Theatre, and the Palace for a reception, as well as the Robinson Library in Armagh.
“The plan is that there’s either a free concert staged in the Market Place Theatre or a much-reduced rate. They want to create a festival feel around this event and I think it’s a really good event to be aligned with.”
A separate report to committee had shed further light on what it was all about: “JLF Island of Ireland will bring together leading voices from politics, science, and the arts, from this island and overseas, for a series of events in Belfast, Armagh, Dundalk and Dublin.
“It will have a distinctive historical focus, exploring the places of both India and this island.
“The festival will open in Belfast on 22-24 May, with partners Ulster University. The festival will then move on to Armagh City on 26-27 May, Dundalk on 27 May, and conclude in Dublin in St Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College Dublin on 29-31 May.”
Council officers had earlier hosted officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Teamwork Arts, the festival organisers, for a visit to various venues in Armagh.
The delegates said they were “extremely impressed with what they saw and learned”; the Market Place Theatre, Archbishop’s Palace and the Robinson Library were seen as “ideal for the envisaged programme”.
The proposed programme in Armagh includes a concert at the Market Place Theatre, featuring Indian and local artists showcasing the Indian, Irish and Ulster-Scots musical traditions.
In advance of the concert, it is hoped to host a reception for invited guests in the Archbishop’s Palace.
The second day in Armagh would consist of workshops at the Robinson Library. There will then be another evening event in the Market Place featuring writers and commentators, with details of all events to be finalised in due course.
“Support from Council would involve assistance with marketing and promotion and technical support within venues,” the committee had been told, and asked to approve, with costs to be incurred which could be “met from within existing budgets”.
Council agreed to the Jaipur Literary Festival coming to Armagh, after DUP Councillor Scott Armstrong proposed, and Alliance Councillor Joy Ferguson seconded, accepting the recommendations.
