KILDARE READERS FESTIVAL 2026 SCHEDULE

The Kildare Readers Festival 2026 includes a retrospective photographic exhibition by Ger Holland at the McKenna Gallery, running from Wednesday, 30 September to Saturday, 10 October 2026.

The main events schedule unfolds across Kildare venues as follows:

* Thursday, 01 October 2026: Writer John MacKenna discusses the life and 1798 rebellion memories of Quaker annalist Mary Leadbeater, portrayed by Mary Linehan, at Athy Library, commemorating the 200th anniversary of her death, at 7pm. The presentation is repeated on 3 October at 3:30pm at Naas Library & Cultural Centre, and Sunday, 4 October at 3pm at Ballitore Library.

* Friday, 02 October 2026: Riverbank Arts Centre hosts a screening and Q&A for A Quiet Love, the first feature documentary produced in Irish Sign Language, with producer Anne Heffernan.

* Saturday, 03 October 2026: Naas Library hosts youth workshops alongside jump jockey Barry Geraghty sharing insights into his racing career with Donn McClean.

* Sunday, 04 October 2026: Irish-language literary gathering An Tolg Liteartha convenes at The Silken Thomas in Kildare Town.

* Tuesday, 06 October 2026: Stephen Travers and Frank Shouldice discuss The Miami Showband Massacre: Memory, Truth and Legacy at Naas Library.

* Wednesday, 07 October 2026: Authors Dearbhla Mescal and Jan Brierton explore writing and resilience in The Poetry of Living.

* Friday, 09 October 2026: Riverbank Arts Centre officially opens the festival exhibition before hosting a panel on landscape, history, and personal identity with Lesley Bond and Miriam Mulcahy.

* Saturday, 10 October 2026: A full day of panels at Riverbank Arts Centre features Louise Nealon and Katriona O’Sullivan sharing key literary influences, a debut fiction showcase, heritage culinary talks, bestselling fiction writers, and a crime fiction event with John Banville, Patricia Gibney, and Edel Coffey.

* Sunday, 11 October 2026: The festival concludes with youth clay workshops, a screening of Puffin Rock and the New Friends, folklore storytelling, and comic book creation with Aoife Dooley.

* Other events include Creative Writing Workshops and Competitions, with the full schedule available here. 

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Inaugural Bruce Springsteen Festival in Rathangan

The inaugural Féile Springsteen will be held in Rathangan tomorrow, Saturday, 22 August. The festival will celebrate Bruce Springsteen’s connections to the town with music, talks, tours, art, films, and competitions. 

The main event is an outdoor concert by The Human Touch, Ireland’s first Bruce Springsteen tribute band, at The Village Pump at 8pm, supported by Hot Cross Dunnes. Tickets are €15.

The day starts at 11am with a talk by Mario Corrigan at Rathangan Library on Springsteen’s Irish roots, focusing on his great-great grandmother Ann Garrity’s journey to New Jersey. At 4pm, historian Larry Fullam will lead a guided tour, “Ann Garrity’s Rathangan,” visiting historical sites. Other activities include a Springsteen look-alike contest, reflections on his 2023 visit, at The Burrow at 7pm, and an all-day art exhibition by the An Scríobhláil Collective and the Freehold Art Group at Ma’s Kitchen. 

A Springsteen-themed film will be shown at the RYARC Centre at 2pm. 

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Kildare's Indian community celebrate Summerfest in Kilcullen

The Newbridge Ninjas delighted the attendance.

Summer Fest 2026 yesterday at Kilcullen Community Centre was a vibrant celebration of music, song, and inclusivity that brought together many members of the Indian community from across County Kildare, writes Brian Byrne. Organised by Kildare United Indians for Social Harmony & Integration (Kushi), guests enjoyed a variety of authentic Indian cuisines and explored cultural stalls inside the centre, creating a lively and festive atmosphere throughout the day.

In addition to dance, music, and song performances by children and adults from the Indian community, the event also featured a unique fusion of Irish and Indian dance, thanks to a collaboration between Jyoti and her Indian dancers and a group of Irish dancers brought by Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer. 

In her capacity as Leas-Cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer thanked the organisers for inviting her, saying there's no better way to bring people together than through music, dance, song, and food.

Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer, who was involved in the original establishment of Kushi, also attended the event. Both local representatives participated in the traditional lighting of a symbolic lamp to begin the proceedings.

Kilcullen Community Centre was thanked for hosting the event — it's the third year the celebration has been held at the venue.

The Indian community in County Kildare has grown significantly in recent years, most prominently as professionals in the healthcare and IT areas. The collective presence has been marked since 2018 by celebrations of the Deepavali and Spring festivals. The group has also participated in events such as the St Patrick's Day parade in Newbridge, the June Fest, and the Newbridge Dance Festival.

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38th Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival

The 38th Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival is set to return to Newbridge College from Friday, 24 July, to Thursday, 30 July 2026. The week-long event celebrates the life and wide-ranging interests of poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, including poetry, music, philosophy, and conservation.

The festival will officially commence with a Grand Opening and Reception on Friday, 24 July, at 7:30pm in the Newbridge College Theatre. The ceremony will be performed by HE David Gill, Ambassador of Germany, with Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon TD, and representatives of Kildare County Council in attendance. Music at the event will be performed by Conor Mahony and Flamenco guitarist John Walsh.

A highlight of this year’s cultural programme is once again a concert by the legendary Swedish pianist Hans Pålsson on Saturday, 25 July, at 8pm. Pålsson will perform a repertoire featuring works by Beethoven, Haydn, and Schubert. A Poetry Ireland Reading will take place in the Walker Building on Monday, the 27th, featuring Dermot Bolger, Donald Gardner, and Desmond Egan.

Other events in a comprehensive schedule include:

Academic Lectures and Workshops — Sessions on "Practical Prosody," creative writing, and a translation workshop focused on Hopkins's poem "Binsey Poplars".

Art Exhibitions — A group exhibition curated by Artistic Director Desmond Egan, featuring artists such as Brian Bourke and Jay Murphy.

Youth Programme — A parallel programme for young people directed by Derek Egan.

Community Events — Daily "Festival Club" gatherings at local venues like Cummins’s and O’Rourke’s, as well as a field trip to Moone High Cross.

For further information and registration, visit gerardmanleyhopkins.org.

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Racing Legend honour for Kilcullen’s Jim Kavanagh

Images courtesy Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer.

Kilcullen resident Jim Kavanagh was conferred with this year’s Irish Derby Racing Legend award at an event in Kildare town yesterday to announce the 2026 honouree in the Kildare Derby Festival Hall of Fame.

Kavanagh, who grew up near the Curragh, held a trainer’s licence for many years before going on to serve as Trainers’ Representative with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).

From his successful career as a trainer to his work with HRI and his voluntary contributions as an Irish racing archivist, Kavanagh has devoted his life to preserving Ireland’s racing heritage.

The Racing Legends Plaque was unveiled at the pop-up Racing Legends Museum at the Old Courthouse in Kildare. 

The exhibition showcases local trainers, iconic horses and jockeys who have shaped Kildare’s racing story for generations, many with strong links to Kilcullen, Gilltown, Athgarvan and the surrounding area.

Jim Kavanagh and family.

With Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer.

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Dunlavin Arts Festival this weekend

Dunlavin will come alive this weekend, writes Brian Byrne, as the Dunlavin Arts Festival brings music, storytelling, exhibitions, film, workshops and community celebration to venues across the town.

The festival opens with a Thursday prelude featuring the Lámh ‘Finding Your Voice’ Choir with Baltinglass Sings, followed by an evening of words and music at St Nicholas Church. From Friday, the programme expands across Dunlavin with exhibitions opening in multiple locations, an official festival launch at the Old School House Gallery, and a line dancing social night at Imaal Hall.

Saturday offers one of the busiest programmes of the weekend, with an inclusive community warm-up, storytelling and creative workshops, puppet shows, live drumming, brass music and experimental cinema. Highlights include illustrator PJ Lynch’s Drawing Gulliver!, biologist Éanna Ní Lamhna’s midsummer nature talk, and a local history discussion on the 1921 Milltown Murder. The day culminates in the return of the Cailleachs and Vizzards parade and céilí, reviving a distinctive West Wicklow tradition of masked performance.

Music is also central to the festival, with Midsummer Musical Melodies on Saturday evening featuring soprano Niamh Murray, Ronan Byrne, the Gormanstown Choir and the Dara String Quartet.

On Sunday, festivalgoers can begin before dawn with Ancestral Dawning, a first-light gathering at Tornant Moate combining voice performance, landscape and juggling. The day continues with exhibitions, craft fair stalls, plein air painting, seed bomb workshops, drumming and the Maypole ritual in the Midsummer Garden.

Throughout the weekend, audiences can explore exhibitions by local and visiting artists, including the Wicklow Hills Arts Collective, Cruthú Art Collective, Redline Art Group and others, alongside special installations and community art projects. With much of the programme rooted in place, heritage and participation, this year’s Dunlavin Arts Festival promises a vibrant midsummer celebration of creativity in West Wicklow.

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Musical Melodies at Dunlavin Arts Festival

Midsummer Musical Melodies at St Nicholas Church, Dunlavin, will be presented as part of Dunlavin Arts Festival on Saturday next, 20 June 2026, at 8pm, featuring soprano Niamh Murray, pianist Ronan Murray, Gormanstown Choir and the Dara Quartet.

The programme spans classical, traditional, musical theatre and popular favourites. Highlights from the first half include Benjamin Cooke’s Hark! The Lark, Mozart’s Luci Care, the Irish air Siúl a Rún, and quartet performances of Gershwin’s Summertime and Lullaby, alongside Piazzolla’s Libertango. Solo selections for Niamh Murray include The Sunshine of Your Smile, songs from Showboat, My Dearest Dear and The Holy City.

After the interval, Gormanstown Choir will perform a lively mix including Sloop John B, Hit the Road Jack, Proud Mary and Thank You for the Music. The Dara Quartet will play A Million Dreams and This Is Me, while the final solo set includes Funiculi, Funicula, The Miller’s Daughter, I’ll Walk Beside You, Bizet’s Seguidilla and a selection from My Fair Lady.

Rachel Creighton leads both the Dara Quartet and Gormanstown Choir, with Fran Prendergast as accompanist. Barney O’Sullivan is the master of ceremonies.

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Midsummer Music at Dunlavin festival

A special concert will take place as part of the Dunlavin Festival of Arts on Saturday, 20 June, at 8pm in St Nicholas Church, Dunlavin, writes Brian Byrne.

Midsummer Musical Melodies will feature acclaimed soprano Niamh Murray, accompanied on piano by her brother Ronan Murray. The programme will include well-loved songs from popular musicals, with the audience also invited to join in the chorus.

The event will also feature supporting performances from the Gormanstown Choir and the Dara Quartet.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite or by contacting Dorly on 086 8274884.

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Deadline today to participate in Flavours of Kildare

Today is the last day for participant entries to the Flavours of Kildare festival, which is returning to Curragh Racecourse next month as part of the second annual Kildare Inclusivity Festival. 

In partnership with Kildare Local Enterprise Office and Kildare County Council, the event will take place on Sunday, 10 May 2026, from 11 am to 6pm, starting with a grand parade.

This free community festival celebrates inclusivity and highlights the vital contributions of people with disabilities to the community. Over 6,500 visitors attended in 2025, and organisers anticipate another memorable day filled with connection, celebration, and community spirit.

Local craft, food, and beverage producers, along with businesses championing inclusivity, are invited to showcase their offerings to a diverse and engaged audience.  

All applicants must be a registered business operational from Co Kildare. Interested vendors can apply at this link.  Acceptance notifications will be given by 17 April. 

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