Frankie Gavin for 34th Hopkins Festival
July 22 to 28 will feature the 34th annual International Hopkins Festival in Newbridge College. The Festival celebrates the work and wide interests of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) who spent the last years of his life in Dublin and who often visited Kildare on his various travels.
The Irish Music night will feature legendary fiddler Frankie Gavin in concert with concertina player Noel Hill, regarded by many as the best performer on that instrument. They will play in Newbridge College Theatre on Saturday July 23rd at 8pm. Admission €25 — advance booking advised for what will surely be a memorable event.
Another highlight of a packed week will be a one-man performance by renowned actor Barry McGovern, who has a worldwide reputation as an interpreter of the work of Samuel Beckett. His performance will take place in the College Theatre at 8pm on Wednesday 27th July and already has generated considerable interest.
A packed week of events will include a Writing Workshop in Newbridge Library on the Saturday morning, conducted this year by noted American poet Patricia Miller. Bring 25 copies of your poem for assessment by an expert.
The Youth Programme runs all week and is geared to the non-specialist, with a wide variety of activities and workshops, including one on Music. Hopkins was a conservationist and this facet will be commemorated with a Nature Walk along the Liffey, led by Michael Jacob, on the Wednesday from 11.30am.
There will be a rich variety of Poetry Readings by writers from around the globe and some 20 countries will be represented this year, our record to date. Leinster Print Studios will stage a week-long Art Exhibition in the College and the legendary sessions in various pubs each evening always prove enjoyable and inclusive.
The Festival will be opened by the UK Ambassador Paul Johnson, a Hopkins enthusiast, during a reception at 7pm on Friday 22nd.
Web: gerardmanleyhopkins.org. E: abbottviv@gmail.com
