Donegal to welcome Laureate na nÓg’s Whole Wide World Bus Tour

School children and families in Donegal will have the chance to meet the creators of their favourite Irish books as part of Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde’s ‘Whole Wild World’ Bus Tour this April.

The route and schedule of the upcoming, first-of-its-kind tour was announced today, with Irish children’s writers and illustrators set to visit schools, libraries, bookshops and cultural venues in nine counties along the west coast of Ireland.

Taking in a total 1,400 kilometres on a multicolour, 30-seater coach, the tour begins at Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head, on Monday, April 14, and concludes at Kinsale Library in Cork on Sunday, April 28. This will include four stops in Donegal at Malin, Creeslough, Gweedore and Glenties.

In Donegal, the tour will make stops at Scoil Naomh Mhuire, Malin Head, on Monday, April 15;· Creeslough, the same date as Scoil Mhuire Creeslough and Glassan National School and then, Gweedore Library. Then, on Tuesday, April 16, it will stop at Glenties’ Scoil Náisiúnta Éadan Fhionnfhraoich.

Patricia Forde will be joined in Donegal by authors and illustrators for workshops, readings and artist events for school groups, library groups and families. The full line-up will be announced in March.

“I’m very excited at the prospect of meeting young readers and writers in Donegal in April,” she said. “This tour is about igniting imaginations and ensuring that Donegal will have another generation of great writers and illustrators by bringing books and their creators to an audience that doesn’t often get a chance to meet them in their own local area. We will have exciting Irish authors and illustrators on board, hoping to inspire and to be inspired, to share stories and have lots of fun!”

Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland said: “It’s so important that our small towns, rural communities and more remote schools get access to really exciting and memorable experiences with Irish children’s books. Patricia Forde is our first Laureate na nÓg from the West of Ireland, and her goal with the Whole Wild World Bus Tour is to make sure that young readers all along the west coast get to meet some of our most talented writers and illustrators and nurture the spark of creativity within themselves.”

Patricia Forde, who was announced as Laureate na nÓg in May 2023, is a native of Galway and has published over 20 titles for children of all ages, in Irish and English. As a former teacher, former director of the Galway Arts Festival, and co-founder of the Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, she is an advocate for children’s right to culture.