About
The Patrick Kavanagh Centre celebrates the life and times of Patrick Kavanagh (born 1904), one of Ireland’s greatest poets, in his home village of Inniskeen. Nestled on the side of a hill close to the River Fane, visitors feel a powerful sense of the place which inspired so much of Kavanagh’s writing. The centre embraces this sense of place through an award-winning exhibition, and various creative projects, events and festivals. The poet died in 1967 and is buried in the adjoining graveyard.
The experience tells the poet’s story through the innovative use of memory boxes, touchscreens and unique artefacts such as the Kavanagh Hand Press. The exhibition centrepiece is a triple-projection titled ‘The Pincer Jaws of Heaven’, immersing the visitor with the raw power of Kavanagh’s words and landscapes that inspired them. Key works are read by Kavanagh, plus an eclectic selection of friends and fellow poets including Oliver Callan, Evelyn Conlon and John McArdle.
The visitor experience at the Patrick Kavanagh Centre honours his life, his writing, and his continuing legacy. Kavanagh’s universal themes of Soul, Love, Beauty, Nature and God are timeless and will resonate in the hearts of readers of all ages for many generations to come.
Plan Your Visit
Open Monday to Friday from 10am until 5pm (box office closes 4.15pm).
€10 Self-Guided tour (Adult)
€5 Self-Guided tour (Student)
Free Entry Children Under 8
For Guided Tours (Price on Enquiry) kavanaghcentre@monaghancoco.ie
Guided Tour options include a tour of the Kavanagh Trail by bus with a local guide. Highlights include Kavanagh’s Birthplace, Billy Brennan’s Barn, Shancoduff Hill and Kavanagh’s final resting place.
Facilities – The Patrick Kavanagh Centre is an exhibition and event space, with toilets and baby changing facilities, free WIFI, gift shop and visitor information services for tourism in the South Monaghan Region. A café, The Raglan Road Tea Rooms is located in a restored cottage beside the centre.
For further information, contact us on (+353) 42 9378560 or email kavanaghcentre@monaghancoco.ie
