Opportunity: Bookville Creative Director and Festival Coordinator 2026

Bookville is a festival for families and children between the ages of 0 – 12 years managed by Kilkenny County Council Library Service and the Arts Office. It is a multi-disciplinary festival  running from October 1^st – October 8^th 2026 with a strong emphasis on books, literature and writing. The festival supports further engagement in the Arts for families, children and young people. Festival events include but are not exclusive to reading, writing, storytelling, comedy, illustration and the visual arts both in person and online.

The coordinator – primary responsibilities:

1. Research, devise and manage the festival content as agreed by the *festival committee ensuring a high-quality experience is available to families and children across the county (*festival committee Mary Butler, Josephine Coyne, Aideen McDonald, Aisling Kelly and Kathy Conlan).
2. Develop, coordinate and schedule events both in person and online within the allocated budget.
3. ‘Bookville in a Book’ – the successful applicant will be expected to liaise with the festival book designer and illustrator to coordinate the development of the book in collaboration with the festival committee and arrange for its distribution to all primary schools in Kilkenny.
4. Liaise with library venues and relevant staff, authors / performers to ensure the smooth running of each event including the exhibition. This will include coordinating venue setup, equipment and accessibility requirements.
5. Management of the continuity and administration of the festival. i.e. managing the minutes of meetings, managing and recording the progression of the festival and the development and up-dating of necessary documents, such as photo consents and festival logistics.
6. Managing all marketing and publicity including the production of the brochure & management of the social media developer.
7. Compliance with health & safety requirements, approval from relevant statutory agencies, contractual issues and legal matters where relevant
8. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation throughout the festival
9. The development of the final festival report
10. The coordinator will report to Josephine Coyne, County Librarian & Mary Butler,County Arts Officer

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

Essential Requirements

 ·       Strong organisational skills, particularly in managing festivals

·       Proven administrative and budget management expertise

·       Skilled in communication and facilitation

·       Flexible approach and ability to work, both independently and collaboratively

·       Capacity to build and sustain relationships with external personnel and organisations

·       Proven skills in evaluating and monitoring projects

·       Experience in producing comprehensive evaluation reports, including festival data and documentation

·       Knowledge and experience of collaborating with arts practitioners across diverse art forms

·       Background in engaging with the public through arts events

·       Understanding of how Arts and Libraries provide schools and communities with access to high-quality arts experiences

·       Highly motivated, with strong time management skills and a track record of meeting tight deadlines

·       Availability to be on site for the full duration of the festival

Desirable

·       Qualification in Arts administration and / or a minimum of three years’ experience of working in this field

·       Awareness and understanding of children’s literature, authors and illustrators

·       Knowledge and understanding of equal opportunities

·       Clear understanding of social inclusion

·       Familiarity with and awareness of a wide range of art forms and media

·       Proficiency in using social media platforms effectively

Essential Other

·       Available for evening and weekend work

·       Own transport necessary

Application by

·       Cover letter, outlining relevant experience for the role

·       Curriculum vitae

·       Proposed Fee

The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm 12^th December 2025. Download full details on this opportunity here.

Applications to be submitted by email to Josephine.Coyne@kilkennycoco.ie 

Subject line in e-mail: Bookville Festival Creative Director and Coordinator

This provision for services will run over a 12-month period subject to annual funding. Candidates may be called for interview based on shortlisting.

Insurance and Tax: The successful applicant will be responsible for all taxes which arise from any payment by Kilkenny County Council of the agreed fee including and without prejudice the generality of this provision, all income tax and VAT.

 Kilkenny County Council invites a proposal for an initial one-year contract, with the option, at the sole discretion of the awarding authority, to extend for a further three periods of one year each (max 4 years total), for the provision of these services.

This project is currently supported by Kilkenny County Council Arts Office, Kilkenny County Council Library Service, the Arts Council of Ireland and Creative Ireland.

 Proposed schedule of workshops 

Please note locations will cover the network of library branches across the county including Callan, Castlecomer, Thomastown, Loughboy, Graiguenmanagh, Mayfair Library, Urlingford, Castlecomer