“Kilkenny Arts Festival is delighted to support the Hubert Butler Essay Prize in 2020. Today, our world is increasingly in a state of flux, where despair and a sense of futility can feel insurmountable. It is always timely to remember Butler’s clarity of purpose, marrying the local with the international, and his personal belief in the possibility of change through individual action. Hubert Butler’s influence is threaded throughout the cultural life of Kilkenny and his life and essays serve as a guiding light to us all in how our personal consciences must hold dear the principles of universal humanity, now more than ever.  

“We are honoured to celebrate his legacy and support new writing by our association with the Hubert Butler Essay Prize in 2020.”

Olga Barry, Festival Director, Kilkenny Arts Festival