This year, the organisers are urging all Kildare people to get involved in the festival, and with a wide range of activities on offer, there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy.
The activities are centred around St Evin's National Sch
ool on Monasterevin, a change from the usual location of St Paul's.
This year, the events kick off with a grand opening and reception at 4pm on Saturday in the school. This will be attended by Robert Faucher, the deputy head of mission at the American Embassy and Yiorgos Chouliaras, press attache of The Greek Embassy. The opening will feature a recital by Monasterevin's own St Peter's Boys Choir.
That night the annual concert in the town's Baronial Hall at Moore Abbey will feature music by Frankie Gavin and poetry by Desmond Egan.
On Sunday the festival decamps to NUI Maynooth, where Mass win the College Chapel will be celebrated by Msgr Raymond Murray.
The Maynooth Day will feature a guided tour of Castletown House, readings and a lecture plus the annual Hopkins Society banquet.
The festival runs until Friday next July 31. Other activities during the week include music workshops, book launches, a film showing of The Wreck of the Deutschland, a visit to Monasterevin House with poetry, a Finnish film showing, a walking tour of Monasterevin and a traditional Irish music concert.
There will be nightly festivities at the town's Manley Hopkins bar, with craic and ceol plus some poetry to boot.
Desmond Egan, poet and one of the organisers, says that the tie-dyeing workshop to be held on Wednesday afternoon run by Japanese artists versed in traditional techniques promises to be one of the highlights of the week. This is open to the public and will take place at St Evin's at 2.30pm.
On Friday at 10am, there will be a translation workshop, where visitors from Poland, Japan, Austria, France, Croatia and the US will focus on translating Hopkins' poem Carrion Comfort into their native tongues.
Gerard Manley Hopkins has strong links with Monasterevin. The poet wrote some of his best loved and most famous work in the Kildare town during his stay in Ireland from 1884 to 1889.
For a festival programme and further information, contact the office at 045 433613 or email info@gerardmhopkins.org.
