"As a child of Longford (Tasmania) where my Irish forebears were sent as convicts during the Famine, I feel an odd affinity with Longford (Ireland). I know the affirmative and sometimes transformative power of small places dreaming themselves anew and so I was delighted to be asked to be a patron of the Granard Booktown Festival. One word follows another and in this way sentences, novels and new worlds are made and so I hope too with this festival and the town it celebrates. - Richard Flanagan

"Longford is a place brimming with talented authors and journalists. It’s a place that churns out great literature and deserves the limelight. I’m not only honoured to be a patron of Ireland’s first Book Town due to take place in my home county but also deeply humbled I get to be part of something so creative in the place I found my personal love of books and writing. - Shaunagh Connaire

"I couldn't have been more thrilled when I was asked to be one of the Patrons for a brand-new festival and the inauguration of Granard as a Book Town. It's a place that's perfect for a new project like this and, in the heartland of what is already a thriving arts scene in Longford, I'm certain it's going to become one of the annual highlights of the calendar. - Rick O' Shea

"I am delighted and honoured to have been invited to support this exciting new initiative. Granard is a town steeped in a rich literary and musical tradition. It was home to the first Harp festival in Ireland and the acclaimed Irish writers Padraic Colum, Noel Monahan and John Connell have all drawn inspiration from its beautiful natural landscape and wonderful people. It is an ideal venue to start a new book festival celebrating great writing and sharing stories to as wide an audience as possible as well as championing new and emerging talent. - Mary Reynolds