Kildare Poet Recognised For His Artistic Contributions

Monday, 27 July 2026 at 14:39

By Daniel Maher

Kildare County Council conferred a Civic Honour on the "internationally recognised Irish poet".

Poet Desmond Egan has been recognised for his contribution to the arts in Kildare.

Kildare County Council conferred a Civic Honour on the "internationally recognised Irish poet".

The honour was presented at the official opening of the 38th Gerard Manley Hopkins International Literary Festival on Friday, 24 July 2026, at Newbridge College Theatre.

The full council unanimously approved the conferral of a Civic Honour on Mr Egan, the presentation of the Dara Bronze Award, and the inscription of his name on the Roll of Civic Honours of Kildare under the Council’s statutory powers.

The Dara Bronze Award is a prestigious, limited-edition commemorative coin commissioned by Kildare County Council and designed by Irish artist Mary Gregory.

The presentation formed part of the opening of the Gerard Manley Hopkins International Literary Festival, a week-long programme celebrating poetry, music, art, philosophy and conservation, with contributors and audiences from Ireland and overseas.

Mr Egan is an internationally recognised poet who has spent most of his adult life in Newbridge.

He has published 24 collections of poetry, along with prose works and translations of Greek drama, and his poetry has been translated into numerous languages.

He founded The Goldsmith Press in 1972 and edited the arts magazine Era from 1974 to 1984.

He is especially associated with the Gerard Manley Hopkins International Literary Festival, which he founded in 1987 and where he has served as Artistic Director.