Athlone man remains key to major international literary festival
An Athlone native is the driving force behind a major international literary festival, the 36th annual instalment of which is opening today (Friday) in Newbridge.
Now in its in its 36th year, the Gerard Manley Hopkins Society International Festival celebrates the writings of the famous poet, his links with Ireland, and his interests: poetry; art, music, philosophy and conservation.
Since 1987, Athlone native Desmond Egan and a team of dedicated professionals have been hosting The Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival, an annual Festival, based in Newbridge College Theatre.
Gerard Manley Hopkins is acknowledged as one of the great poets of the English language.
Some of his work was written in Dublin, Clongowes Wood College, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare and Rahan, Co. Offaly.
He came to Ireland in 1884 to teach classics in University College Dublin. His associations with Ireland, Dublin and Kildare are well identified by Hopkins’s biographers.
On June 8, 1889, Hopkins contracted typhoid fever and died in Newman House, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin. He is buried in the Jesuit plot, Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.
His poetry and writings were unknown until published by Robert Bridges in 1918 when he was finally revealed as one of the most innovative writers in poetic language and rhythm and a powerful and profound poet of religion and nature.
Desmond Egan is a native of Connaught Street, Athlone, and a poet with 24 collections to his name. He established the festival in 1987 and is currently its artistic director.
This year international participants will travel from USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Belgium, Wales, Poland, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Cyprus, U.K. and from throughout Ireland, especially for the event.
The event incorporates a highly regarded literary conference, creative writing workshop, music workshop, translation workshop, and art exhibition, classical and Irish concerts, international poetry readings, a field trip of cultural interest, and nightly festival club.
This year's art exhibition features Desmond Morris, better known for presenting Zootime on BBC TV and even more so from the amazing success of his book ‘The Naked Ape’ (20 million copies sold worldwide),
Morris is also a surrealist painter of note Since he exhibited with Joan Miro in 1950, Morris has been recognised as an artist of real quality probably the foremost exponent of Surrealism in Britain and beyond. The exhibition is open to the public and continues for the duration of the festival.
A Classical Concert will be performed on Saturday, July 19 at 8 pm by distinguished Swedish pianist Hans Pålsson who will include Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven.
The full programme is available on www.gerardmanleyhopkins.org