Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival

Name: Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival
Start: 2026-07-24
End: 2026-07-30
Location: Newbridge

The 38th Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival takes place in Newbridge from July 24 to 30, 2026, with events at Newbridge College and venues across the town. The programme celebrates Hopkins’s life, poetry and wider interests through talks, concerts, poetry readings, art, workshops, youth activities and international cultural events.

Date: Jul 24-30, 2026
Location: Newbridge

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Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival

Event summary

Highlights

38th edition held across Newbridge
Concert by pianist Hans Pålsson on July 25
Poetry Ireland reading with Dermot Bolger, Donald Gardner and Desmond Egan
Taste of Japan programme with origami, shamisen and poetry

The Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival returns to Newbridge for its 38th edition from Friday, July 24 to Thursday, July 30, 2026. Activities will be held at Newbridge College and at restaurants, pubs and cultural venues around the town, bringing together writers, academics, artists, musicians and literature enthusiasts from Ireland and overseas.

The programme explores Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poetry and his interests in music, painting, philosophy and conservation, while also acknowledging the influence of John Henry Newman. Highlights include an opening reception with music and flamenco guitar, a concert by Swedish pianist Hans Pålsson, a Poetry Ireland reading, lectures, creative writing and translation workshops, an international art exhibition, field trips and an Irish Night of music and poetry.

Other featured events include a Taste of Japan programme with origami, poetry, shamisen and Noh-related material, an international poetry celebration, and Barry McGovern’s A Samuel Beckett Hour. A parallel youth programme and several literary, scholarly and arts awards are also scheduled, concluding on July 30.

Practical details

Location described by the source: Newbridge College; www.kildare-nationalist.ie
Area for browsing nearby events: Newbridge

Before attending

Check the sources below for current opening times, admission prices and registration requirements. A date range does not mean the event runs continuously or that admission is free.