Gerald Manley Hopkins The 38th annual Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival is set to be held from July 24 to July 30 at Newbridge College in Co. Kildare. The festival, dedicated to Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins, celebrates his interest of poetry, painting, music, philosophy and conservation as well as his mentor John Henry Newman.
Throughout the week, these forms of art are continuously celebrated. On Friday, July 24, the festival kicks off with a group art exhibition with pieces from artists Brian Bourke, Doru Ivan, Jay Murphy and more. On the 25th, the parallel 2026 Youth Programme begins, offering youth programming for poetry writing, creative writing, music, and an introduction to Fr Hopkins’ own poetry.
Also offered is a field trip to Moone High Cross, also available outside the Youth Programme, which is a High Cross on the site of the remains of the 6th century foundation of the St Colmcille Abbey.
Included in the key speakers of the festival are the Mayor of Kildare, the Mayor of Newbridge and Brett Millier, a professor of literature at Middlebury College, Vermont, US.