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06 Sept 2025

Derry's Neil Hegarty headlining Omagh Literary Festival

'Bend in the River' film to be premiered

Derry author, Neil Hegarty, who is headlining at the Omagh Literary Festival

Derry author, Neil Hegarty, who is headlining at the Omagh Literary Festival.

The Derry ones will be making their presence felt at the Omagh Literary Festival honouring renowned author, Benedict Kiely.

The event which is taking place in the Strule Arts’ Centre  on Friday and Saturday (October 21 and 22) will feature Derry author Neil Hegarty.

Neil will be in conversation with journalist Sam McBride, author of the seminal Burned: The Inside Story of the ‘Cash-for-Ash’ Scandal and Northern Ireland’s Secretive New Elite.

Neil will be in conversation with journalist Sam McBride, author of the seminal Burned: The Inside Story of the ‘Cash-for-Ash’ Scandal and Northern Ireland’s Secretive New Elite.

Neil’s debut novel, Inch Levels was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award in 2017.

Inch Levels is set in the landscapes of Ireland’s northern borderlands. Its central character, Patrick Jackson, is on his deathbed in Derry and is recalling a complex family history. He also wrote The Jewel, which was described by the Irish Times as ‘a vital book for our time’

Neil’s non-fiction titles include Frost: That Was the Life That Was, the authorised biography of David Frost; and the Story of Ireland, which accompanied the RTÉ/BBC series of the same name. He also co-edited Impermanence, a collection of essays by 12 writers from the North, written against the backdrop of Brexit, Border and Covid, with Nora Hickey M’Sichili, the director of Centre Culturel Irlandais.

Neil Hegarty in Conversation with journalist Sam McBride will take place on Friday at 8pm. Tickets cost £10.

Omagh Literary Festival will also feature the Irish premiere of 'A Bend in the River’ which was written and directed by Tyrone born Colin Broderick, who now lives in New York.

The film will be screened on Saturday, October 22, at 7pm in the Strule Arts’ Centre. Tickets cost £10 and £5 concessionary and include a champagne reception.

'A Bend in the River' is also replete with Derry connections. Its cast includes Kathy Kiera Clarke, better known as Aunt Sarah in Derry Girls, as well as John Duddy, former professional boxer, and John Connor (Love/Hate).

Filmed in Tyrone, A Bend in the River tells the story of a writer who returns to Ireland after spending 25 years in New York, to confront the ghosts of his past. Writer and director Colin Broderick is flying to Ireland to introduce the film and talk about his work before the screening.

More details about the Omagh Literary Festival can be found HERE.

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