Download the full Programme for Hopkins Festival 2025
Opening (Fri. 18th at 7.30 pm) Newbridge College Theatre
Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and The Marine
GROUP Visual ART EXHIBITION
Desmond Morris; John Curran; William Finnie; James McKenna; Lena Koster;
Brian O’Loughlin; Eleanor Swan; Kieran Behan
9.30 Festival Club (Coffey's)
Three poems: Katharine Coles
A Favourite Hopkins Poem: Kevin Fagan; Miho Takahashi; Elaine Marshall; Michael Allsopp;
Anne Doyle; Bruno Gaurier;
Elaine Murphy. MC: Elizabeth Doyle
SATURDAY July 19th
Art Exhibitions open to public. (10% deposit; pay, collect on Thursday evening)
10.00 LECTURES
Hopkins and Pre-Lapsarian Strain: Linda Freedman (University College London)
The Desolation Sonnets: Mirko Starčević: (University of Ljubljana)
MC: Morgan McCabe Moderator: Katharine Coles (University of Utah, USA)
11.00 Coffee
11.45 CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP in Library by the Bridge.
Director: Patricia Cleary Miller (University of Kansas, USA)
Participants may bring 25 copies of one poem.
MC: William Adamson (University of Bamberg, Germany)
Lunch: The Strand, Riverbank Theatre
3.00 LAUNCH, LECTURES, RECEPTION
Hopkins’s Poetics of Anxiety and Transience (2023) publication by Mirko Starčević
Launch: William Adamson
Lectures: Hopkins and Victorian Poets: Miho Takashi (Kansai University, Osaka)
Innocence in Hopkins’s Poetry: Giuseppe Serpillo (University of Sassari, Sardinia)
MC: Jenny Adamson; Moderator: Linda Freedman
4.30 AWARD THE HOPKINS SOCIETY AWARD
Award presented to Michael Jacob by Elaine Murphy, Events Coordinator
5.30 Dinner (N.B. earlier time): Harrigan’s
8.00 TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC CONCERT
Legendary Traditional Irish Musicians FRANKIE GAVIN (fiddle) NOEL HILL (concertina)
Presentation of LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to Noel Hill
MC: Morgan McCabe ; Admission: €30 Advance booking advised
10.30 Nightcap in O’Rourke’s
SUNDAY 20th JULY
10.30 MASS in Newbridge College Chapel. Celebrant: David Barrins OP.
Lessons: Will Adamson; Derek Egan
Prayers of the Faithful: Kevin Fagan; Elaine Murphy; Elizabeth Doyle; Morgan McCabe; Anne Doyle; Jim Kelly
After Communion: Diarmuid Johnson (Wales) Flute
MEMORY TREE Immediately after Mass Remembering
Ed Navone; Michael Sundermeier; Fr. Raymond Murray; Tony Donoghue; Sr. Evelyn McLoughlin.
Poem: Kevin McEneaney.
Flute solo: Diarmuid Johnson; Blessing: Fr. Eoin Doyle O.P. Prior Photograph: Jim Kelly (KTWU, Washburn University, USA)
12.15 Lunch: Newbridge Silver Restaurant
2.00 LECTURES LAUNCH
Launch: Diarmuid Johnson Conamara Agus Tíortha Eile Sáile: CD Introduction, with music, by Diarmuid
Lectures
Liszt: Ireland: Newman: Seán Bagnall (Society President);
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Hopkins: Yukari Domura (Kyoto University, Japan)
MC: Jenny Adamson; Moderator: Derek Egan
3.30 FIELD TRIP to Clongowes Wood College. (Names in advance to Anne Doyle)
5.00 KEYNOTE LECTURE Apologia: Desmond Egan
MC: Elaine Murphy Moderator: William Adamson
6.15 Bus departs from Clongowes Main Entrance
7.00 Hopkins Society Banquet
Lawlor’s Hotel, Naas (Names in advance to Jenny Adamson)
9.00 Bus departs for Newbridge
9.30 Festival Club
Cummins’s Music with Conor Mahony and Peter Byrne
MC: Derek Egan
MONDAY July 21st 9.30 REGISTRATION
(PARALLEL YOUTH PROGRAMME Director: Derek Egan. (Daily Schedule)
10.00 LECTURES
10.00 LECTURES
‘What Heart Heard Of’: Katherine Coles (University of Utah) Secular vs. Sacred Anthropology: John North (Uni of Waterloo, Canada)
Moderator: Brett Millier (Middlebury College, USA) MC: Conor Mahony
11.00 Coffee
11.45 LECTURES
A Lenten Meditation on Transformation: Amy Hezel (Regis University, Denver);
Ecology, and Christ’s Body in the Poetry: Joshua King (Baylor University, Texas)
Moderator: Graham Foust (Denver Uni) MC: Anne Doyle
1.00 Lunch
Lily and Wild, Cutlery Road3.00 WINE RECEPTION, courtesy of The Japanese Embassy.
Shamisen Recital with Aya Yoshida
History and place of Shamisen Music in Japanese culture.JAMES MCKENNA AWARD: Brian O’Loughlin. Presented by Desmond Egan. Short talk on bog oak
4.30 LECTURES
Hopkins’s ‘Terrible Sonnets’: Eamon Kiernan (University of Magdeburg, Germany)
Oxford Made Us Catholics: Kevin Fagan (California Polytechnic State University, USA)
Moderator: Elaine Marshall (Hopkins Society UK) MC: Elizabeth Doyle
6.00 Dinner: No. 19, Main Street
8.00 POETRY IRELAND READING
Venue: Newbridge College Theatre presented in association with Poetry Ireland
Diarmuid Johnson; Gabriel fitzmaaurice; Desmond Egan.
MC: Elaine Murphy
9.30 Festival Club: Cummins’s
Music: Anthony Johnson and friends
TUESDAY 22nd July
10.00 LECTURES
‘The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo’ Lydia Martin, (Baylor University, Texas)
From ‘sinew-service’ to ‘(running cable)’ Graham Foust (Denver University, Colorado)
Moderator: Giuseppe Serpillo MC: Anne Doyle
11.00 Coffee
11.45 LECTURES
Eccentric Hopkins: Rainer Emig (University of Mainz, Germany)
Hopkins and the American Puritan Poets: Brett Millier (Middlebury College, Vermont)
Moderator: John North (Waterloo University, Canada) MC: Jenny Adamson
THE NEWBRIDGE SILVER LITERARY AWARD
Awarded to: Brett Millier; presented by William Adamson
1.30 Lunch: The Strand
3.15 LECTURES
Hopkins and Pope Francis: Michael Woods (Worcester University, UK)
Hopkins and the Verse-Line: Koji Katsurayama (Kyoto University, Japan)
Moderator: Miho Takahashi MC: Bethan Kilfoil
4.15 RECEPTION, LAUNCH
Launch of Strange Country CD by Conor Mahony presented by Desmond Egan
5.00 INTERNATIONAL POETRY CELEBRATION
( Newbridge College Theatre)William Adamson: poem by Paul Celan; Elaine Murphy: Patrick Kavanagh;
Derek Egan: Máirtín O Direáin.
Three poems each by poets:
Patricia Cleary Miller (USA); Kevin McEneaney (USA) ;Donald Gardner (UK);
Lena Koster (Sweden); Morri Creech (USA); Michael Woods (UK); Selese Roche (Ireland); Desmond Egan.
Music: Conor Mahony
6.30 Dinner: Gourmet Inn, Main Street
8.00 Festival Club: O’Rourke’s
Three poems each by poets:
Michael Woods (UK); Patricia Cleary Miller (USA);
Poems in Irish
Noh Theatre Poems: Koji Katsurayama
WEDNESDAY July 23rd
10.00 LECTURES
The Sonnets in Ireland: Michael Allsopp (Australia)
Turner and The Wreck: Katarzyna Stefanowicz (Birmingham University)
Moderator: Geoff Howes (Bowling Green State University, Ohio) MC: Elizabeth Doyle
11.00 Coffee
11.45 LECTURES
Penmaen Pool: Elaine Marshall (G.M. Hopkins Society, UK)
Hopkins and Christine Lavantt: Geoff Howes (Bowling Green State University)
Moderator: Lydia Martin (Baylor University) MC: Anne Doyle
1.30 Lunch: Dubh, George’s Street
3.00 LECTURES
Spiritual Crisis in “Carrion Comfort: Morri Creech (Queens University of Charlotte)
Hopkins and Metaphysical Poetry: Joseph Phelan (De Montfort University, UK)
Moderator: Anthony Johnson (Åbu Turku Hai., Finland) MC: Bethan Kilfoil
4.15 RECEPTION,
LECTURE
Architecture Today: Shelley MacNamara (Grafton Architects)
Moderator: Desmond Egan MC: Conor Mahony
6.00 Dinner: Harrigan’s
8.30 Festival Club: Cummins’s
The 2025 O’CONNOR AWARD
Awarded to Christy Ennis. Presented by Derek Egan
Three poems: Lena Koster, Morri Creech(Finland)
MC: Morgan McCabe
THURSDAY 24th
10.00 SYMPOSIUM
Amy Hezel (Regis University); Joseph Phelan (De Montfort University) ; John North (University of Waterloo);
Moderator: William Adamson; MC: Elaine Murphy
11.00 Coffee
11.45 TRANSLATION WORKSHOP
Selected poem: Spring and Fall
Director: Will Adamson (University of Bamberg) with visiting translators from Japan, France, Netherlands, Germany,
Ireland, Sweden, USA, Finland
MC: Derek Egan
1.00 Lunch: Silver Restaurant
3.00 YOUTH PROGRAMME CONCLUSION
Parents of participants are welcome to attend
Hopkins Society
President, Seán Bagnall, presents Student Certificates and
The Rosemarie O’Connor Prizes
Moderator: Derek Egan; MC: Elaine Murphy
5.30 Dinner (NB earlier time): Harrigan’s Pub and Restaurant
8.00 CELEBRITY CONCERT HANS PALSSON (Sweden)
plays Mozart: Piano Sonata no. 8 in A Minor, KV 310 Beethoven: Sonata No. 31 in A flat major Op.110 Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat D 960
(
Concert programme available: €5)
Admission: €30 Advance online booking advisable)
