Strokestown International Poetry Competition Winner Announcement.
Competition judge for 2026, Rachael Hegarty, announces the winner, with readings from the five short-listed poets and the announcement of this year’s Strokestown International Poetry Prize winner.
Poetry Reading with Dermot Bolger, Jaki McCarrick & Helen Mort.
Launch of Cyphers 100, with special guests Moya Cannon, Peggie Gallagher, Rachael Hegarty, Aifric MacAodha, Michael O’Loughlin & Joseph Woods.
Poetry Reading & Launch.
With Aifric Mac Aodha, Philip McDonagh & Michael O’Loughlin.
Festival opening concert, with the traditional music quartet, Rithim.
Join Kate Beirne on accordion, Noel Sweeney on flute, whistle and saxophone, Mick Owens on guitar and Amanda Sweeney on fiddle.
Celebrating 45 years of Salmon Poetry.
With Rachael Hegarty, Joan McBreen, Jessamine O’Connor, Nessa O’Mahony & Adam Wyeth.
Turlough Poetry collective presents Edel Burke, Susie Fry, Peggy Gallagher, Winifred McNulty, Ger Reidy & Jean Tuomey.
With Diarmaid Moynihan on the uilleann pipes.
This event is booked out.
Poetry Workshop: On good form – writing, freedom and constraint.
With Helen Mort.
Workshop is limited to 12 persons & advance booking is essential, by Tuesday 28 April.
Following payment of the €60 fee, please send two poems (40 lines or less) to sipfestivaldirector@gmail.com for workshop.
New Work from Lapwing, Macha & Revival Press.
With Patrick Dillon, Susanna Galbraith & Margaret O’Driscoll.
Strokestown Open Mic will bring together guest festival poets and emerging local performers for an unforgettable evening of live creativity. A vibrant mix of poetry, music, storytelling and the spoken word, celebrates the power of local voices and the wider artistic community.
Join us at Compton’s Pub in Strokestown.
The annual Joan McBreen Lecture, an exploratory and adventurous talk on poetry, will be delivered by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, under the title “On readers of poetry”.
Poetry Films Screening in association with the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation & curated by Luke Morgan.
This special screening features poetry from contemporary Irish poets & performers, including Eavan Boland, Victoria Kennefick, Jessica Traynor, Nithy Kasa, Seán Hewitt, Sarah Clancy and Ciara Ní É. Captured cinematically by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation filmmaking team, some poems are read by the poet themselves, others are performed by renowned Irish actors such as Éanna Hardwick and Olwen Fouéré. Come along and be entranced by the power of language in motion. Award-winning poet and filmmaker Luke Morgan has curated this special presentation for the Strokestown International Poetry Festival 2026.
Poetry Reading & Festival Launch, with Moya Cannon, Louise G Cole & Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan.
The Weekend Ticket for 2026 represents a 20% saving over the total cost of events booked individually.
Does not include Poetry Workshop on Saturday.
