Athlone-born poet to receive major civic honour in Kildare
Athlone-born poet Desmond Egan is to be conferred with a civic honour by Kildare County Council in recognition of his exceptional and enduring contribution to the arts, literature and cultural life of Kildare.
The decision was taken at the June meeting of Kildare County Council, when the elected members resolved to confer him with the Dara Bronze Award, their highest civic honour.
The Dara Bronze Award will be presented to Desmond Egan by the Mayor of Kildare at the grand opening of the Gerard Manley Hopkins Society’s 38th International Literary Festival in Newbridge College Theatre on Friday, July 24, at 7pm. It comes just a week or so after he celebrated his 90th birthday.
The opening will be attended by councillors, members of the Oireachtas and writers, artists academics, musicians and translators from around the world who will gather to celebrate the occasion.
Desmond Egan was born on Connaught Street, Athlone, on July 15, 1936.
He was the son of Tom and Kathleen Egan, and was educated locally, and later at St Finian’s College, Mullingar.
Desmond Egan is a writer and poet. He lives and works as a full-time writer in Newbridge, County Kildare.
His first poetry collection, Midland, was published in 1973.
Athlone features heavily in much of his earlier work.
He holds a B.A from Maynooth University and an M.A. from University College Dublin. He was the first poet-in-residence in University College Dublin and was instrumental in securing the Patrick Kavanagh papers for UCD. His work is the subject of a critical study by Dr. Brian Arkins, Professor of Classics at University College Galway. He holds an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from Washburn University Kansas, USA.
Desmond taught Classics in St. Finian’s Mullingar and English in Newbridge College, County Kildare. He retired from teaching to dedicate his energy to full time writing.
In 1983, he won the National Poetry Foundation of USA Award which brought him to the attention of world class literary critics such as Hugh Kenner; writers Thomas Kinsella and Samuel Beckett and renowned Irish artists such as Brian Bourke, James McKenna and John Behan to name but few. He has authored and published 24 collections of poetry, two books of prose essays. His poetry is translated into 15 languages: the latest, in Japanese, ‘Music’ by Professor Miho Takahashi, Kansai University Japan will be launched at the end of July. A Classics scholar, he has translated Sophocles’ Philoctetes and Euripides Medea. His appointments include Hon. President of the Classical Society of Ireland, 2004; Juror: The Neustadt International Literature Award, University of Oklahoma 1999; Cultural Relations Committee, Dept. of Foreign Affairs 2000 - 2003; 2003 – 2006.
Major awards to Desmond Egan include: Stanford Poetry Award (1983): National Poetry Foundation of USA Award, for Collected Poems (1983); Chicago Haymarket Literary Award (1987): The Farrell Prize, New York (1989): Honorary D.Litt. from Washburn University, Kansas, USA (1996): Bologna Literary Award, Italy(1998): Premio Anfiosso Literary Award (Italy) (2001): Macedonia Literature Award (2004): Ouessant (France) International Literary Award 2005: Arpino (Italy): Il Libro di Pietra plaque 2010: Newbridge Town Culture Award (2012): Kildare County Council Literature Award (2015): IBAM, Irish Books and Media (Chicago) Award for Literature (2015)
Desmond Egan is also well known as the founder and artistic director of The Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival. Now in its 38th year it is an annual celebration of literature, poetry, music and art.
The attendance by Ambassadors from U.S, U.K. France. Germany, Italy, Sweden, Croatia et al., mirrors the positive diplomatic effect of his cross-cultural vision.
This year’s festival will take place in Newbridge College, County Kildare from July 24-30. The Youth Programme of the Festival, which Desmond also founded, now in its 18th year, has drawn hundreds of pre-Leaving Certificate students from schools and colleges in County Kildare and further afield. It gives participants a strong and enjoyable boost to their studies.
visit www.gerardmanleyhopkins.org