Strokestown International Poetry Festival 2026
2026-05-01 - 2026-05-03 | Strokestown Park
Join us for the Strokestown International Poetry Festival 2026, taking place over the May Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday, May 1st, to Sunday, May 3rd, in the picturesque surroundings of Strokestown Park, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon.
Now in his fifth year as festival director, Joe Woods has curated an exciting and diverse line-up for Ireland’s longest-running poetry festival. The weekend will feature a rich blend of local, national, and international poets, offering bilingual readings, poetry book launches, film screenings, workshops and an open mic & music night.
More than twenty-five poets will appear over the course of the weekend, with additional guest poets to be confirmed. Books by all participating authors, representing more than fifteen publishers, will be available throughout the festival at the on-site Salmon Bookshop.
Festival highlights include:
A gala reading celebrating Salmon Poetry’s 45th anniversary, featuring five of Salmon’s acclaimed poets: Rachael Hegarty, Joan McBreen, Jessamine O’Connor, Nessa O’Mahony, & Adam Wyeth.
A workshop and reading by the supremely talented Sheffield poet Helen Mort.
The launch of the final issue of Cyphers (No. 100), the influential literary journal published since 1975.
The Joan McBreen Keynote Address, delivered this year by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, who will speak about readers of poetry.
Poetry Films screening from contemporary Irish poets & performers in association with the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation.
Announcement and readings by the shortlisted poets of this year’s Strokestown International Poetry Competition.
With a full weekend of engaging events, you are encouraged to secure tickets early. Weekend passes, single-event tickets, and workshop bookings are available now at strokestownpoetryfest.ie
———————————————————————
For more events at Strokestown Park Visit here
———————————————————————

Bat Talk & Walk with Midland Bat Group
2026-05-15 20:30 - 22:00 (Europe/Dublin)
Come along and find out fascinating facts about bats at our bat talk.
The talk will be followed by a walk around the grounds using bat detectors to discover the wonderful bats living in Strokestown Park.

FREE Event, all welcome.
**Please be aware that this workshop takes place in an upstairs room, accessible by stairs only. **
Advanced registration required.

National Famine Way Remembrance Walk
2026-05-16 | Strokestown Park
Would you like to walk the National Famine Way?
The National Famine Way Remembrance Walk is a nine-day, supported commemorative journey retracing the 165 km historic route followed in 1847 by the 1,490 men, women and children who were marched from Strokestown to Dublin as part of assisted emigration during the Famine.
This is a structured and dignified act of reflection, crossing six counties from the west of Ireland to the east. The route follows mostly flat terrain, winding through quiet countryside, canal towpaths and historic towns and villages along the Royal Canal Greenway.
The walk begins with a traditional Canadian Wake on the 16th May at 7pm in the Vaulted Stables at Strokestown Park , a farewell gathering once held for Irish emigrants leaving for North America. All are welcome to attend the Canadian Wake.
The Canadian Wake will feature music, storytelling and a moment of reflection as we remember those who made the journey before us.
The Remembrance Walk will conclude with a Completion Ceremony held at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin, symbolically linking departure and arrival.
***Participants may walk the full route or selected sections with local events and community engagement taking place along the trail.***
How to Take Part
You can take part in a way that suits you:
Walk the Full Route
Join the complete eight-day walking journey and take part in the full commemorative experience from Strokestown to Dublin.
Join for a Day or Section
Take part in selected days along the route and experience the walk within your own time and pace.
What to Expect

Daily walks of approximately 18–25km
A mostly flat, accessible route
Short historical insights shared along the way
Opportunities to connect with local communities
Informal evening gathering points with music and reflection

This is not a sporting challenge, but a shared and reflective experience grounded in history and place.

Canadian Wake - An Immersive Theatrical Experience
2026-05-16 19:00 - 20:30 | National Famine Museum
Join us at Strokestown Park in the National Famine Museum on the 16th May at 7pm for a traditional Canadian Wake, a farewell gathering once held for Irish emigrants leaving for North America.
This event will be an immersive theatrical experience with professional performances in the National Famine Museum. The evening will feature music, storytelling and a moment of reflection as we remember those who emmigrated during the Great Irish Famine.
You will be taken back to 1847, the height of the Great Irish Famine where we will be revisiting the night that Mary Tighe and her family left the Strokestown Estate. Mary and her family were part of a forced emmigration scheme initiated by Major Denis Mahon, the landlord of the Strokestown Estate at this time.
This emmigration scheme forced famine-stricken tenants to leave their homes in Strokestown. These tenants are today referred to as ‘the missing 1,490’. They began their journey by walking the 165km to the docklands in Dublin, from here they boarded ships to Liverpool and then on to Canada in the hope of a better life.
Follow Mary and her family on their journey, experience their heartbreaking story and join her community in a traditional emmigrant wake, the last opportunity for Mary to say farewell to her loved ones. Knowing that it could be the last time they see each other as she is heading into a life of uncertainty with little money and a treacherous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.
This Canadian Wake is being held on the eve of the National Famine Way Remembrance Walk starting on the 17th of May.
This event is a standing event which involves walking through the National Famine Museum with limited seating in each section of the museum.
***This is a Free Event, however advanced registration is required.***

Eco - Art Project with Artist Jacqueline Duignan
2026-05-21
Led by artist Jacqueline Duignan, Eco-art project will take place in the parklands and gardens of Strokestown Park.
This project takes place over two mornings.
Dates: Thursday May 21st and 28th Times: 10am to 1pm.
Workshop participants will create impermanent landscape sculptures using only natural and found materials gathered from the grounds eg, twigs, leaves, stones, bark, seed heads, clay and other biodegradable elements.
The aim of the project is to deepen participants’ connection to the environment through discourse, observation and sustainable art-making.
The workshops will begin with guided sensory walks. Participants will explore textures, patterns, shadows and growth through sketchbook work and photography, developing an awareness of the subtle structures already present in the environment. From this foundation, they will explore construction techniques such as balancing, weaving, tension-building and interlocking forms without the use of synthetic materials or fixatives.
Each participant (or small group) will then design a small-scale sculpture. These works may take the form of twig, stone, leaf, branch structures and patterns. The sculptures will be intentionally impermanent. This emphasis on the ephemeral encourages reflection on cycles of growth, sustainability and renewal.
About Facilitator
Jacqueline Duignan is a visual artist, poet and part time lecturer currently based in Roscommon, with a practice rooted in sculpture and mixed media. A graduate of NCAD and Trinity College Dublin, she has exhibited widely across Ireland and the UK, with solo shows at the Arts Council, World’s End London, and New Art Studio, Dublin.
Jacqueline is a recipient of multiple Arts Council awards, most recently a Roscommon Co. Council Visual Arts Bursary and a Bealtaine Artist Award. Her poem “Ode to Blue” won first prize in the Roscommon New Writing Awards, 2024.She is an active professional member of Visual Artists Ireland. Her recent Community Arts project Postcard from the Little Oak reflects her commitment to inclusive and intergenerational arts practice.
**Registration for this project and workshops is FREE and suitable for all levels.**
This project is supported by the Roscommon County Council Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-Government initiative, which places creativity at the centre of public policy.

Woodland Café Sing Song with Fionnuala Maxwell & Friends
2026-05-26 | Woodland Café, Strokestown Park
Join us on the afternoon of Tuesday May 26th at 2pm for our annual Woodland Café Sing Song as part of Age & Opportunities Bealtaine Festival, celebrating creativity as we age.
Leading this very special afternoon is Leitrim singer and musician Fionnuala Maxwell who will be accompanied by the wonderful accordion player Brian Mostyn.
Come and sing along to lots of old favourites, you might even be encouraged to get up for a dance.
This event is open to the public, with no advanced booking required.
This initiative is gratefully supported by Roscommon County Council Arts Office, as part of the Bealtaine Festival 2026 an Age & Opportunity Arts initiative, funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.

Caravaggio - Dark Light with artist Jacqueline Duignan
2026-05-26 10:00
Join a small group for a relaxed printmaking and beginner friendly Art workshop facilitated by artist Jacqueline Duignan, no previous experience necessary. All levels catered for.
The workshop will take inspiration from the painting “The Cardsharps” by the great Italian master Caravaggio, a copy of which hangs in Strokestown Park House. Participants will be introduced to hands on, guided basic print making using inks and rollers, pencil and charcoal.
Experimentation with a wide variety of materials will be encouraged.
By the end of the session, participants will have created black and white print/Art work inspired by Caravaggio.
About Facilitator
Jacqueline Duignan is a visual artist, poet and part time lecturer currently based in Roscommon, with a practice rooted in sculpture and mixed media. A graduate of NCAD and Trinity College Dublin, she has exhibited widely across Ireland and the UK, with solo shows at the Arts Council, World’s End London, and New Art Studio, Dublin.
Jacqueline is a recipient of multiple Arts Council awards, most recently a Roscommon Co. Council Visual Arts Bursary and a Bealtaine Artist Award. Her poem “Ode to Blue” won first prize in the Roscommon New Writing Awards, 2024.She is an active professional member of Visual Artists Ireland. Her recent Community Arts project Postcard from the Little Oak reflects her commitment to inclusive and intergenerational arts practice.
**Registration for this workshop is FREE. Advanced booking is essential.**
This initiative is gratefully supported by Roscommon County Council Arts Office, as part of the Bealtaine Festival 2026 an Age & Opportunity Arts initiative, funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.

Rooted & Growing Conference
2026-07-29 - 2026-07-30
A Conference of Nature Connections

Rooted & Growing is a community gathering to showcase nature-based interventions within the West and North West of Ireland. It will provide a forum to discuss an emerging vision of nature connections to support health and social care outcomes.
Rooted & Growing has been created by a small group of psychologists, community workers, researchers and artists that are passionate about the role of nature connections in their work and personal life.
This gathering is committed to highlighting the research base and clinical experiences of positive biopsychosocial outcomes for nature-based interventions. It aims to build a network to support the further development of nature connection projects for all in community, including those living within health and social care settings.
Rooted & Growing will feature talks from leading academics from Maynooth University, along with psychologists and community workers in the West and Northwest, who all promote nature connections within their work. There will be opportunities to experience workshops giving practical examples of how nature can be incorporated into clinical practice. A number of these workshops will be hosted by people with lived experience of participating in nature-based interventions.
Rooted & Growing is perfect for professionals working in health and social care settings and policy makers, who may already be connected to nature in their work or simply nature-curious. This conference has a collaborative and experiential focus, creating a space for discussion and development of community nature connecting in Ireland.
This non-profit event will take place on 29th and 30th July 2026 in Strokestown Park, County Roscommon.The full Conference programme, along with workshop choices, will be available soon. All conference attendees will be notified of the final programme and workshop choices via their email provided.
