The first Brendan Kennelly Festival was held in August 2001 in Ballylongford, Co. Kerry.
The festival honours the spirit of small villages throughout Ireland and in particular the spirit of Ballylongford. The spirit of any place is a hard thing to quantify but it surely owes much to the pastimes, the sorrows, the joys and the characters that touch the inhabitants of a place. This spirit of village Ireland is what inspired Brendan’s novel The Crooked Cross.

Throughout his career spanning over forty years Brendan Kennelly's work has captivated the hearts of successive generations of readers. His poetry is breathtakingly, almost painfully, honest at all times in its exploration of life’s triumphs and trials. Again and again Brendan has returned to the land and the people of his boyhood for his inspiration. He has celebrated their legends, their stories and their voices. Today as when he began his career he is still haunted by his place.

We hope that all visitors to Ballylongford will be able to taste something of the spirit of our village and perhaps see something of the beauty that has inspired so much of Brendan’s work. Whatever your age, wherever you have come from and for however long you stay we are confident that you will find something in our programme of events to delight and entertain you. The festival programme offers an eclectic mix of art, poetry, music, dance, tours, drama, local crafts and children's events.

We send our sincere thanks to all of our sponsors and patrons whose generosity has made the festival possible.