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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

Kerry Writers Museum

Name: Kerry Writers Museum
Address: 24 The Square, Listowel, V31RD93, IE
Telephone: +3536822212

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Kerry Writers Museum

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A museum of words and spirit where the imaginative worlds of the great Kerry writers are evoked, inc

The Seanchaí is a visitor and cultural heritage centre in the Historic Town of Listowel which presents the works of the great Kerry writers in a unique audio-visual experience. Located in a 19th century Georgian residence in Listowel’s magnificent Square, the Centre features five of the County Kerry’s most esteemed writers – John B. Keane, Bryan MacMahon, George Fitzmaurice, Brendan Kennelly and Maurice Walsh. The writings of these national and internationally renowned literary figures are filled with an abundance of rich characters, humour, romance and tragedy drawn from the towns and villages of North Kerry. The words of the writers will make you laugh and cry, but above all you will come away from your visit to Seanchaí with a sense of the people and places that shaped Kerry’s literary genius.

22/10/2026

✨ Exhibition | Listowel Through the Ages in Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

Long before anyone carved a turnip, North Kerry was marking Samhain.

The old Celtic year ended as the harvest came in and the dark half of the year began. It was the night when the door between this world and the Otherworld was said to stand open. And the ringforts scattered across our fields? You’d want a good reason to go near one after dark. Fairy forts, the lot of them.

That ancient North Kerry is where Listowel Through the Ages begins, in our main auditorium beside reception. From there it carries you through medieval knights, Victorian Listowel and the Great Famine, a mutiny, and the strangest train in the world, right up to an independent Ireland.

Come and explore your own past. Booking details are in our bio.

20/10/2026

📖 FROM PAGE TO STAGE – YOUR STORY MATTERS! 🎭

Would you like to build your confidence, explore your creativity and discover new ways to enjoy words and stories?

Kerry Writers’ Museum invites adults to take part in From Page to Stage, a welcoming 10-week workshop programme combining creative writing, storytelling and drama.

The workshops are designed to help you develop your own literacy skills and confidence, while learning fun, practical activities that you can share with children and other family members at home.

What will we do?

✍️ Explore creative writing and poetry
📚 Share stories and enjoy reading
🎭 Try drama, role-play and storytelling
🗣️ Build confidence in speaking, listening and communication
🏡 Learn simple ways to encourage reading, writing and creativity at home

You don’t need to be a confident reader or writer, and no previous experience is necessary. The workshops are relaxed, friendly and supportive, with opportunities to learn at your own pace.

📅 Every Wednesday for 12 weeks
🕚 11am–1pm
📍 Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel
📞 Book your place: 068 22212
📧 [email protected]

Come along, meet others and discover the stories and skills you already have!

Your voice. Your stories. Your learning.

20/10/2026

✨ Self-Guided Tour | Mid-term visits with Bryan Murphy in Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

Mid-term is nearly here, and Bryan Murphy has plenty of stories in his hat.

Bryan is our local seanchaí and the voice guiding you round our self-guided audio tour. He’ll lead you through the rooms of John B. Keane, Bryan MacMahon, Brendan Kennelly, Maurice Walsh and George Fitzmaurice. Expect mystery. A murder or two. Love, comedy, and then a bit more magic for good measure.

And for younger visitors, Púca the Hare is waiting with a story trail all of his own.

🕙 Open weekdays, 10am to 5pm
📍 24 The Square, Listowel
🎟️ Book through the link in bio

19/10/2026

✨ Castle View Café & Shop | Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

☕ Visiting Listowel Castle? Pop in for something refreshing!

Our Castle View Café is just a few steps away, with delicious coffee, scones and sweet treats, and, as the name suggests, a lovely view of the castle to go with them. It’s the perfect spot for a catch-up with a friend, a break from the shops on the Square, or a well-earned cuppa after a tour of the museum.

While you’re here, have a browse through our shop, where you’ll find books by Kerry’s great writers alongside a wide range of local authors we’re proud to support. A lovely treat for yourself, or an early tick off the Christmas list (we won’t tell anyone it’s only October 🤫).

📍 Kerry Writers’ Museum, 24 The Square, Listowel
🕙 Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm

16/10/2026

✨ Guided Tours | Windows of Wonder at Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

🎭 Meet our storytellers, Angeline and Vincent!

Our Windows of Wonder tour isn’t your usual museum visit. Angeline and Vincent, our costumed actor guides, bring Kerry’s great writers to life through their stories, poems and songs, and you might even find yourself beating the bodhrán along the way!

It’s a perfect outing for active retirement groups, book clubs, community groups and friends looking for something a little different this autumn.

👥 Groups of 10 or more
📅 Book at least two days in advance
🕙 Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm

Get in touch with us on 068 22212 or [email protected] to plan your group visit. For weekend guided tours, please get in touch with the museum to enquire.

15/10/2026

✨ Writers’ Rooms | George Fitzmaurice in Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

🔮 Magic glasses, enchanted lands and crows of Mephistopheles…

As the nights draw in, we’re shining a light on one of our most mysterious writers, George Fitzmaurice. Born just outside Listowel in 1877, “Master George” was said to compose his plays wandering the woods and fields of his family farm, inspired by the colourful characters he met around North Kerry.

His plays live somewhere between reality and fantasy, full of dark comedy, strange visions and a touch of the otherworldly. His first Abbey Theatre success, The Country Dressmaker, surprised even W.B. Yeats with its popularity, but his fantastical plays like The Dandy Dolls were too unusual for audiences of the time. It took until 1969, six years after his death, for the Abbey to finally stage it.

A shy man who kept to himself, Fitzmaurice remains one of Kerry’s most intriguing literary figures, and the perfect writer to get to know this Halloween 🍂

Step into his room and discover his world for yourself.

📍 Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel
🕙 Open 10am to 5pm
Plan your visit, link in bio 🔗

14/10/2026

🍂 Harvest Afternoon Tea ☕

Pull up a chair and make a little time for yourself this November!

As part of Listowel Food Fair 2026, we’re celebrating the flavours of autumn with a Harvest Afternoon Tea here at Kerry Writers’ Museum. Expect a tempting spread of sweet and savoury seasonal treats, a proper cup of tea, and live entertainment to keep the good cheer flowing.

Bring a friend, bring your mam, bring your appetite (that one’s not optional 🍰).

📅 Friday 6th November 2026
🎟️ €30 per person
📍 Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

Spaces are limited, so book early by calling our Box Office on 068 22212 or online 👉 kerrywritersmuseum.com/event/harvest-afternoon-tea

13/10/2026

✨ Architecture Kerry | The Big Houses of North Kerry at Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

🏛️ A full house for the big houses!

Last Friday, we were delighted to host The Big Houses of North Kerry, a day-long event organised by the Irish Georgian Society as part of Architecture Kerry.
Around 100 people joined us for a fascinating programme of talks exploring the history and heritage of the grand houses that once shaped our local landscape.

Thank you to all the speakers, including some familiar faces: Tom Dillon, Kay Caball, and Erika Hanna, who it was lovely to welcome back after last year’s Uisce event. And thank you to everyone who came along and filled the room with such great questions and conversation.

Photos courtesy of Shane Batton 📸

13/10/2026

✨ Family Tour | Púca Story Trail at Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel

🐇 Have you met Púca yet?

In Kerry folklore, a púca is a shape-shifting trickster who loves nothing more than causing mischief after dark, appearing as a hare, a goat, or something altogether stranger. Thankfully, our Púca is a friendly one! She’s an Irish mountain hare, and she can’t wait to show younger visitors around the museum.

Follow her through the glass door to discover five spooky local tales of fairy forts, faction fights and ghostly goings-on, all gathered by Kerry schoolchildren in the 1930s for the Irish Folklore Commission. Each story leaps to life with augmented reality, using illustrations drawn by pupils of Scoil Réalta na Maidine in Listowel.

The perfect bit of Halloween mischief for the mid-term break 👻

📍 Kerry Writers’ Museum, Listowel
🕙 Open 10am to 5pm
Plan your visit, link in bio 🔗

Address

24 The Square
Listowel
V31RD93

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+3536822212

Website

http://www.kerrywritersmuseum.com/, https://kerrywritersmuseum.com/celebrating-the-seanchai-writers-by-barbara-derbyshir

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