George RR Martin To Appear At Shamrokon In August

The 35th annual European Science Fiction Convention will welcome the Game Of Thrones author to Ireland

August is going to be a busy month for con goers. There's Nine Worlds and WorldCon in London, an official Discworld con in Manchester... and EuroCon will be in Dublin (22-24 August).

The true ruler of The Seven Kingdoms, George RR Martin will be attending this year's European Science Fiction Convention (the 35th annual EuroCon, this year dubbed "Shamrokon"). As well as Martin taking his seat on the Iron Throne, a myriad guests from comic book creators and authors to illustrators and filmmakers will also be attending. Guests of honour include Judge Dredd 's Michael Carroll, Hugo award-winner Seanan Maguire (an occasional contributor to SFX , also known as Mira Grant), author Andrzej Sapkowski and novel translator Yvla Spangberg.

Renowned illustrator and artist Jim Fitzpatrick will be discussing and exhibiting his work alongside Shamrokon's art show. Fitzpatrick is most famous for his iconic two-tone Che Guevara portrait and Irish Celtic art. If you want your work displayed beside his at the show, you can apply via the Shamrokon website .

The Golden Blasters ( The National Irish Science Fiction Film Awards ) will be showcased as part of the convention this year. The Golden Blasters are dedicated to the art of short genre films; it's currently taking submissions for both "Best Short Film" and "Best Short Screenplay" categories. Check out www.goldenblasters.com for more details on how to enter.

As with every EuroCon, Shamrokon will feature the European Science Fiction Society's annual awards – proudly promoting sci-fi in Europe and European sci-fi globally, including a party on the Saturday providing plenty of food and drink from around the continent. Last year, SFX magazine was itself a winner in the Magazine category .

If all of that hasn't tickled your fancy yet, know that there will also be panels as diverse as only sci-fi can be: explore the influence of renowned Irish Gothic author Sheridan Le Fanu on the horror genre in celebration of his 200th Birthday; discuss Celtic gods and magic, ideas of time-travel and indulge in some zombie talks.

The portal to the worlds of science fiction opens midday on Friday 22 at DoubleTree by Hilton on Burlington Road, Dublin. It runs until Sunday 24 August. Become a member now or feel the wrath of a price rise… Membership is currently €35 for over 21s but will increase to €40 on 1 August. Concessions are €25 and under 21s €10 with under 12s going free with adult accompaniment.

Check out the website for more details: www.shamrokon.ie

Alice Pattillo