Octocon

01/06/2026

Happy Pride month from all at Octocon! 🌈

17/05/2026

Join us on Monday 25 May at 8pm IST, live on YouTube, to hear 2023 Octocon Guest of Honour Sarah Rees Brennan read from ALL HAIL CHAOS, the truly evil sequel to her huge hit LONG LIVE EVIL, followed by an interview.
https://www.youtube.com/

Octocon 2026 & 2025 members are invited to join us on Zoom after the streaming ends (8:45pm) for a private Q&A. An email with the invite link will be sent a few days before the event, and it will also be available in the Octocon Discord.



ALL HAIL CHAOS
Rae is a fantasy reader who’s been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far more deadly than the one she knew.
Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the all-powerful Emperor – Rae’s favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land – wants her to be his evil queen.
Romantic in fiction, complicated in reality. What’s a villainess to do? Time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.

07/05/2026

We're excited to announce that Ryan Cahill will be joining us in October at the Clayton Hotel in Cork as an in-person guest!

Ryan Cahill is the Sunday Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the epic fantasy series, The Bound and The Broken. Born and raised in Ireland, Ryan spent some years honing his craft amongst the rolling hills and hobbit holes of Middle-Earth, New Zealand, before returning home to conquer the world.

https://octocon.com/2026/05/ryan-cahill/

03/05/2026

Community Fund applications are open!

If you would like to attend Octocon but need support with accommodation and/or travel costs, please complete our funding application.

A number of free memberships are also available for Cork locals.

https://octocon.com/octocon-community-fund/

03/05/2026

The European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) award nominations for 2026 are out, and we'd like to congratulate all our Irish nominees! https://www.esfs.info/esfs-nominations-2026/

Nominated for ESFS Achievement awards:
- Best written work of fiction: "The Sword Triumphant" by this year's Octocon guest Gareth Hanrahan
- Best fanzine: Journey Planet #93 - Andor: Season 2
- Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel: "Silver: Unearthed" - Story by former Octocon GOH Michael Carroll, Art by Joe Currie, letters by Simon Bowland
- Best Event, Festival or Convention organised by Fans: last year's Eastercon in Belfast, Reconnect - Eastercon2025

Nominated for the ESFS Hall of Fame:
Best author: former Octocon GOH Ruth Frances Long
Best publisher: O'Brien Press
Best promoter: regular Octocon guest Jo Zebedee

Nominated for the Chrysalis award: Kevin Moran

See the nominations

30/04/2026

Octocon cannot happen without all our valued volunteers, and although we’re grateful for everyone who can spend time helping out on the weekend of the convention, it’s a year-round endeavour.

We’re currently looking for people to help with:

-Organising and scribing for our committee meetings (3-4 hours a month)
-Looking after our email inbox (1 hour a week)
-Streaming our Octocon Presents events, not just at Octocon (but we do need them for Octocon too) - full training given
-Helping with our social media - Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Mastodon (1-2 hours a week)

For more information: https://octocon.com/join-the-octocon-team/

28/04/2026

Today is the day!

Join us live at 8pm IST on YouTube to hear Peadar read from his latest novel and be interviewed by Jean Bürlesk.

https://www.youtube.com/

Octocon 2026 & 2025 members are invited to join us on Zoom after the streaming ends (8:45pm) for a private Q&A. The invite link has been sent through email and is also be available in the Octocon Discord.

27/04/2026

Join us tomorrow, 28 April 2026 @ 8pm IST live on YouTube to hear Peadar Ó Guilín read from his latest novel, The Sword Garden, and be interviewed by Jean Bürlesk.

https://www.youtube.com/

Octocon 2026 & 2025 members are invited to join us on Zoom after the streaming ends (8:45pm) for a private Q&A. An email with the invite link will be sent a few days before the event, and it will also be available in the Octocon Discord.

We hope to see you there!

24/04/2026

Join us Tuesday 28 April 2026 @ 8pm IST live on YouTube to hear Peadar Ó Guilín read from his latest novel, The Sword Garden, and be interviewed by Jean Bürlesk.
https://www.youtube.com/

Octocon 2026 & 2025 members are invited to join us on Zoom after the streaming ends (8:45pm) for a private Q&A. An email with the invite link will be sent a few days before the event, and it will also be available in the Octocon Discord.
https://octocon.com/2026/04/octocon-presents-peadar-o-guilin-with-the-sword-garden/

THE SWORD GARDEN
Never trust the dead.
The Empire’s richest city is about to revolt and only Jarrod’s dying father can save the day. The rebels have allied with ghosts. Hostile Northerners press at the borders, along with hideous beings of unnatural origin.
Jarrod doesn’t want to fight. He was supposed to be a monk, reading precious books, singing hymns to the wise and gentle gods of his people. But he’s about to discover something utterly horrific at the heart of the rebellion.
Prepare for the worst. Prepare for the fall of an entire world.

23/04/2026

Joining us in October? Make sure to book your room!

Rooms available at our convention rate are going fast. Please check your 2026 membership to get a magic login link to the Member Portal, where you can find the registration code to use for hotel bookings.

https://registration.octocon.com/2026/members/check

This code can be accessed and used by 2026 members only.