Jordan leaves fiction rivals in the Shade

NEIL JORDAN has won the E10,000 Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize for his novel Shade.

The announcement was made at the launch of the 35th Listowel Writers' Week last night.

Unfortunately Jordan was unable to attend he's been called away on "urgent movie business to LA", we were told. However, he made up for his absence with a pre-recorded message thanking the Writers' Week for the award.

Arts Minister John O'Donoghue and a crowd of literary types, including Colm Tóibín and Pauline McLynn, gathered at the Listowel Arms Hotel last night for the official launch of the festival where more than E30,000 worth of prizes were handed out. Among the prominent winners last night were Madeleine Griffin, who won the Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award (E2,000), Kenneth Hickey, who won for his play Three Women (E1,000), Roderick Ford, who won for a single poem (E650), and Ivy Bannister, who won for the best poetry collection (E650).

And with proceedings off to a good start, literary fans have a whole host of top names from the world of letters to look forward to over the week ahead.

Colm Tóibín reads today, followed later by Pauline McLynn and Ross O'Carroll Kelly. This evening it's Roddy Doyle and the launch of the first novel by Billy Keane John B's son who now runs Keane's legendary bar in the centre of town.

Later in the week, audiences can look forward to the likes of Joe Simpson, of Touching the Void fame, a lecture from renowned journalist Robert Fisk, and an appearance by Man Booker prize winner, DBC Pierre.

With such a varied list of guests, it looks like the 35th Listowel Writers' Week will live up to its tradition of being fun without being too high-brow a serious festival that doesn't take itself too seriously.

At least that's how it appeared to be shaping up last night, as writers and audience alike talked and tippled late into the night, long after the speeches in the Arms Hotel were finished.

Finally, a word of warning to anyone travelling to Listowel this Bank Holiday weekend: with the thousands the Writers' Week has pulled into town, there isn't a bed to be had anywhere near Listowel at the moment. There are, however, some tickets still available for events, as some readings have been moved to bigger venues due to demand.

Tickets will be available on the door of each venue, and from 068-21074. Also see www.writersweek.ie for more information and the full programme.