Ms Máire Logue:

We have just come from our 2018 festival. Our approach to programming is that we rip it apart, tear up the rule book and start afresh. We have a new page and look forward. We always review what did and did not work. We have to do that. The first thing we do is review ourselves to see what was positive and what we can do in the future. It is a new blank sheet. Obviously, in the office we are constantly researching what is new and up and coming, what is in the news and who are winning awards. The festival is born out of this and our invitations are issued. We are in contact with theatre groups that are doing new, young and innovative theatre to bring them to the festival because we have a theatrical production every lunchtime and evening. We also have art exhibitions, poetry and music, all of which are put together as soon as a festival is over. From July on, we are programming until the festival begins again the following year. We will ask our writers who came this year what their experience was and whom they could recommend who might come and enjoy the festival. We ask our audiences what they like. All of this is very important to build our festival for the following year.