Louise Welsh: The Cut Up

Chaired by Dawn Geddes

📍Port Ellen Primary School, Port Ellen

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, join us at Port Ellen Primary School, where the Islay Book Festival was first held! Opening this year’s festivities, we’ll hear Louise Welsh, author of cult classic The Cutting Room, tell us all about her latest literary crime novel, The Cut Up. It once again features auctioneer Rilke, who has to rely on his unreliable friends after finding one of his customers dead on his tarmac. If you like William McIlvanney, James Kelman and Kate Atkinson, this one is for you!

Tickets: £5

Sponsored by the Scottish Book Trust

8pm

Douglas Stuart: John of John

Chaired by Zoe Strachan

📍Port Ellen Primary School, Port Ellen

We are absolutely thrilled to bring Douglas Stuart to Islay this year, which is only fitting as his latest novel, John of John, is set in the Hebrides. This new exploration of masculinity sees a young man, John-Calum Macleod, return to his native island, Harris, to face his difficult relationship with his father, John. This third book by the Man Booker prize winning author of Shuggie Bain is perhaps his most accomplished yet, and has been praised by the likes of Colm Tóibín and Lauren Groff. Make sure to book your tickets in advance, as we’re expecting a big crowd!

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Refreshments will be provided by the St. John’s Ladies on the evening. Donations welcome.

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Ian Buxton: Whiskies Galore – New Edition

Chaired by Bryony McNiven

📍Ardbeg House, Port Ellen

Join Britain’s foremost writer on spirits, Ian Buxton, to hear about Birlinn’s new edition of the first book dedicated to island whiskies for more than a decade. Ian will be interviewed by Ardbeg distillery manager, Bryony McNiven, in the stunning bar of The Times Hotel of the Year 2026. Expect some nice surprises, which will no doubt delight any lover of uisge beatha.

Tickets: £30

Over-18s only. Places are limited; advance booking is essential.

Jenni Fagan: The Delusions

Chaired by Charlène Busalli

📍St. John’s Church, Port Ellen

Poet and novelist extraordinaire, Jenni Fagan, will present her latest work of fiction, The Delusions. Irvine Welsh describes it as ‘brilliant, original, daring, a 1984 for the afterlife and a fabulous satire’, and we couldn’t agree more. Jenni’s books are unlike any other, each more astonishing than the last, and we’re delighted to bring her, one of the very best contemporary Scottish authors, to our wee island.

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Refreshments courtesy of Lussa Gin

Literary Pub Quiz

📍The Ardview Inn, Port Ellen

If you live in Islay, you’ll already know that Alastair’s quizzes at the Ardview are nothing short of legendary. If not, expect a Scottish pub quiz at its best, with a rowdy atmosphere and a quizmaster who will occasionally shout at you, using rather colourful language that might extend your vocabulary. Come test your knowledge about books, but do not fear if you’re not the nerdiest of bookworms, we’ll try to go easy on you! All money raised on the evening will go to a local charity.

Book a table (teams of four max.) directly with The Ardview Inn via Facebook or by calling 01496 300018

£5 per head, to be paid on the evening.

Peter Roberts: The Birds of Islay and Jura

Chaired by Malcolm Ogilvie

📍ICCI – Islay Gaelic Centre, Bowmore

Four years in preparation, The Birds of Islay and Jura collates and presents data gathered from historical records, earlier publications on the birds of Islay, plus a wealth of present day surveys, censuses and observations from British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB and more. Come listen to a talk that promises to be fascinating on this huge labour of love.

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Mya-Rose Craig: Birdgirl

Chaired by Polly Pullar

📍ICCI – Islay Gaelic Centre, Bowmore

At age 11, Mya-Rose Craig started her popular Birdgirl blog. In her eponymous book, she shares the impact on her own mental health of growing up with a mother affected by severe bipolar disorder, how nature helped them cope as a family and how she found joy and her voice through birding. This event with a trailblazing young author and activist is not to be missed!

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Moray Watson: A’ Hobat

Chaired by Iseabail Mactaggart

📍ICCI – Islay Gaelic Centre, Bowmore

We are thrilled to bring Professor Moray Watson back to the Islay Gaelic Centre, where he worked for three years, to hear him talk about his Gaelic translation of cult classic The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, A’ Hobat. Translating a book with such innovative language is no mean feat, and we have no doubt you’ll have lots of questions for Professor Watson – as do we!

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Hannah Lavery: Everything Everyday

Chaired by Emily Arnold-Fernández

📍ICCI – Islay Gaelic Centre, Bowmore

Former Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery will read from her new poetry collection, Everything Everyday: A Year of Empty Promises, a poetic journal of the year that charts winter through to autumn in an unflinching exploration of memory and identity. Hannah will be in conversation with our own Emily Arnold-Fernández, Secretary of Islay Book Festival, who is also an accomplished poet.

Tickets: £5

Sponsored by the Scottish Book Trust

Dougie Donnelly: My Life in Sport

Chaired by Glenn Campbell

📍Bruichladdich Hall, Bruichladdich

In a year that has seen Scotland play in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years, it was only right to invite one of Scotland’s most successful and best loved sports commentators, Dougie Donnelly. Dougie will discuss his autobiography, My Life in Sport, which features stories full of humour and insight of his years travelling the world doing what he does best – commentating on sport!

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Licensed bar in support of Islay Youth Football Club

Golf session with Dougie Donnelly.

📍Another Place, The Machrie, Port Ellen

Dougie Donnelly’s latest travels include commentating on international golf, a sport he loves to play. Join him at The Machrie’s Wee Course for a morning game in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with The Machrie golf team. If you miss out on tickets, Dougie will do a book signing in the hotel’s golf shop at 11.30am following the game, so there’ll still be a chance for a blether.

Tickets: £30

Places are limited; advance booking is essential

Clare Jackson: The Mirror of Great Britain

Chaired by C. J. Cooke

📍Bruichladdich Hall, Bruichladdich

We will have the immense pleasure of celebrating the publication in paperback of The Mirror of Great Britain: A Life of James VI & I with Professor Clare Jackson in person. A major reassessment of one of Britain’s most important monarchs, the book has garnered numerous accolades, including  Financial Times History Book of the Year 2025 and Times Best Book of the Year 2025. This session with a prominent UK historian and broadcaster will be a treat.

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

C. J. Cooke: The Last Witch

Chaired by Louise Welsh

📍Bruichladdich Hall, Bruichladdich

We are delighted to be joined by acclaimed novelist C. J. Cooke, whose books have been translated in 23 languages, to talk about her latest work of fiction, The Last Witch. This spellbinding novel is inspired by the true story of Helena Scheuberin, whose trial for witchcraft in 1485 Innsbruck led to the writing of the infamous Malleus Maleficarum, or Hammer of the Witches.

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Lunch with Julie Lin

📍Another Place, The Machrie, Port Ellen

Author and food writer Julie Lin will host a lunch prepared by The Machrie Chef, Calum Hall, using recipes from Julie’s beautiful book, Sama Sama: Comfort Food from My Malaysian-Scottish Kitchen. Praised by the likes of Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi, the celebrated chef and broadcaster will have lots of mouth-watering stories to share.

Tickets: £30

Places are limited; advance booking is essential

Let’s Go Birdwatching with Mya-Rose Craig

📍RSPB Loch Gruinart

After the success of Hamza Yassin’s family event last year, our wee festival attendees will have the pleasure of following in the footsteps of young ornithologist Mya-Rose Craig, for a stroll in the woods at RSPB Loch Gruinart. Grab your wellies and join us for this session full of fun discoveries!

Free but advance booking is essential. (One ticket per child, accompanying adults don’t need to book)

Stuart Graham: Islay on the Front Line

Chaired by Jean Chlebowska

📍Bruichladdich Hall, Bruichladdich

After These Men Are Worth Your Tears, which focused on Islay and Jura in World War I, Stuart Graham will present his long-awaited, thoroughly-researched second book, Islay on the Front Line: The Remarkable Impact of World War II on the Island and Its People. Stuart interviewed many members of the local community who were in their teens or slightly older when the war began, and we hope you will come in large numbers to listen to their important stories.

Tickets: Suggested price £7, or Pay What You Can £3/£5/£10

Polly Pullar: In the Company of Sheep

Chaired by Mary Redman

📍Bruichladdich Hall, Bruichladdich

A regular visitor to our island, conservationist and naturalist Polly Pullar will launch her new book, In the Company of Sheep: From Dartmoor to Shetland, at this year’s Islay Book Festival. This fascinating examination of how sheep have influenced our culture and environment through the years will be of great interest both to our farming community and to anyone interested in ecology and conservation.

Tickets: £5. Free for Islay Young Farmers Association members.

Sponsored by the Scottish Book Trust and Bruichladdich Distillery