Festival organisers around the country were thanking their lucky stars this morning as the rotten weather of the past number of days broke just in time.

Carl Dixon talks to twoof the top writers appearing at this year’s Immrama festival in Lismore

The co-founder of one of the world’s most influential series of travel guides will be among the guests at this year’s Immrama Festival of Travel Writing in Lismore.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation, has bought Lonely Planet in a deal that values the travel publisher at about £100 million (€143m).