Sean Lyons, District 71 Humorous Speech Contest winner 1997

Sean Lyons: A Stranger Walking the Roads

Hosted by John Healy

Thursday, 9th October

8.30pm

Location: Festival Dome, Bridge Lane, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, F23 PN20

Seán Lyons describes himself as a child of the Sixties who cannot remember the Seventies. He is an award-winning writer of short stories and has published a novel that rose into obscurity.

He has published two volumes of humorous verse and has featured in the Strokestown International Poetry Festival where he twice won the Percy French Award for humorous poetry. He has also featured at the Bard of Armagh. Seán has read his poetry at the Los Gatos Listowel Writers’ Week in California and on Ellis Island. A recording of a reading in Listowel has been viewed more than 160,000 times. He regularly broadcasts on Radio Kerry and is a former chair of Listowel Writers’ Week.

He first joined Toastmasters in Castlebar in 1982 and has spoken at clubs in Sydney, Seoul, Gambia, California, London, and all over Ireland. He won the District 71 Humorous Speech Contest in 1997 and has been dining out on that ever since.

In A Stranger Walking the Roads, family, faith, first loves, and late nights collide in stories that are as funny as they are fearless – an intimate, spirited portrait of a life well wandered.

From small-town Mayo to African kingdoms and Chicago streets, this memoir brims with wit, warmth, and unflinching honesty, as the author recalls a childhood shaped by Catholic rituals, family traditions, and unforgettable characters. We witness the joys of first loves and near-misses, the pull of emigration, the camaraderie of pubs and politics, and the search for meaning in faith, teaching, and travel. Laced with humour and compassion, these pages capture the music of memory – the laughter, the losses, and the quiet revelations that give life its poetry.

Whether you are Irish by birth, heritage, or heart, A Stranger Walking The Roads will leave you laughing, reflecting, and longing for one more chapter by the fire.

‘Brims with stories told with humour and warmth by a natural raconteur’ – Martina Devlin, author and columnist

Booking info: All events at this year’s festival are on a first come, first served basis. We recommend wrapping up warmly and arriving early to secure a seat. All events in the festival dome are free of charge.