Irish Borderlands Seek UNESCO Literary Status
An arts coalition is advocating for Irish borderlands to become a UNESCO 'region of literature' with plans for literary routes and a "spiritual way" through the Mourne Mountains. The effort emphasizes heritage tourism and literary immersion for travelers seeking deeper connections with place and story. The proposal would create structured cultural experiences around Ireland's literary heritage.
The bid for the "northern literary lands" is being spearheaded by Arts Over Borders, a group known for organizing cross-border festivals. Their artistic director, Seán Doran, envisions the initiative as a way to unite a region historically marked by division, fostering a shared cultural identity. The proposal covers a significant area—one-third of the island's landmass—and a mostly rural population of 1.2 million people. This project would be a world-first, as UNESCO currently designates "cities of literature" but not regions. Arts Over Borders will petition the UN agency to create this new regional category. If successful, it would join the ranks of 63 other UNESCO-recognized literary locations, including Dublin. The plan features nine distinct "literary ways" or routes across eleven counties—five in Northern Ireland and six in the Republic. These routes are designed to guide visitors through landscapes that inspired a high concentration of renowned writers. The goal is to draw tourism away from the popular coastal areas and into these often-overlooked "hidden heartlands." One proposed route, the "Nobel Way," connects Sligo, Fermanagh, and Derry, areas associated with Nobel laureates W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney. Another, the "Wilde Romantic Way," includes a walking tour of Enniskillen, where Oscar Wilde attended boarding school. The "Spiritual Way" connects the Mourne Mountains, which famously inspired C.S. Lewis's Narnia, with Neolithic sites like Newgrange and locations in Armagh linked to Jonathan Swift. The nearby Cooley Peninsula is associated with the ancient Irish epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge. The initiative also bridges centuries of literary history, connecting 18th-century playwright George Farquhar with Lisa McGee, the creator of the modern hit TV series *Derry Girls*, on the "Northwest Dramatic Way". The project will also map contemporary writers, including novelist Maggie O'Farrell and poet Annemarie Ní Churreáin. Upcoming events will be integrated into the literary landscape, such as the Beckett Biennale. This festival is set to feature the first-ever Ulster-Scots translation of the iconic play *Waiting for Godot*.
