Rath Literary Festival

Purple Rain PR helped promote the first-ever Rath Literary Festival held from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th June 2025 in Rathfriland.

The event was a collaborative effort between Rathfriland WI, Rathfriland & District Regeneration Company, and the Hilltown Community Association to celebrate local literature, history, poetry and the musical arts. A live BBC Radio Ulster broadcast took place on Saturday 31st May to promote the festival as well as a BBC News NI feature online and a UTV Life segment on Friday 6th June. Local weekly newspaper titles supported the event with press coverage as well as Newry.ie.

The festival also featured a vibrant line-up of authors, artists, and musicians, including Maggie Doyle with Dr Linley Hamilton and his jazz quartet, Linda McKenna, Emma McKervey, Kelly Creighton and Melina Williamson (Femina Culpa), Whiskey Before Breakfast, Anne Harper, Tony Macaulay, Duke Special, Shelagh Henry, Uel Wright, Martina Devlin, Pauline Vallance and Jacynth Hamill.

A standout moment of the festival was the special opening of Drumballyroney Church and the Brontë Interpretive Centre on Sunday, courtesy of the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. This rare opportunity to explore these historic sites was an important milestone for the festival’s mission. Set on a hill with uninterrupted views of the Mournes, it was the perfect location to soak up the history and reflect on the Brontë family’s connection to Rathfriland.

Events also took place in Chandler’s House and the old Belfast Bank in Rathfriland Square and Rathfriland Library held an exhibition of schools’ competition entries written by local children and teenagers.