Details revealed of the Kennedy Summer School 2026

More details have been revealed of the Kennedy Summer School 2026 to takes place from August 27 to August 29, 2026 in New Ross, County Wexford, with major events including the annual Noel Whelan Interview with veteran broadcaster Pat Kenny.

Organised by Chairperson Eileen Dunne, the festival celebrates Irish and American culture, politics, history, and current affairs Veteran broadcaster Pat Kenny will reflect on his multi-generational career in Irish public life.

A session exploring global business and investment partnerships between Ireland, Europe, and the United States. Public debates will cover US politics, reporting from global conflict zones, space research, literature, sports, and culture

Lively panel debates focus strongly on transatlantic relationships and current affairs.The award-winning New Ross & District Pipe Band officially closes out the summer school each year. STEM sessions centred around astrophysics and space science.

Literature & Humanities workshops: Explores literary historical milestones, including centenary celebrations of classic American texts.

Tickets & full programme available form today July 14 on the official Kennedy Summer School Website or via the St. Michael’s Theatre Box Office in New Ross (051 421255).

The programme

The programme opens with a Trade and Economic Forum exploring business and investment between Ireland, Europe and the United States. Among the speakers is Sinéad Fitzmaurice, former CEO of TransferMate and the first woman to scale an Irish technology company to unicorn status.

The next generation of innovators will take centre stage at the Schools STEM Event in the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, where pupils will hear from Purdue University researcher Abigail Mizzi, who is set to become the first student to conduct research in suborbital space aboard Purdue I, a future Virgin Galactic mission. She will be joined by Stephen O’Driscoll of Research Ireland.

The Arboretum will again host its popular Afternoon Tea Party, inspired by President Kennedy’s 1963 visit to Ireland, before Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, Geraldine Byrne Nason, officially opens the Summer School at St Michael’s Theatre. She will join Professor Mary C. Murphy of Boston College’s Irish Institute for a discussion on the evolving relationship between Ireland and America and today’s changing global landscape.

Literature also features strongly, with New Ross native and Notre Dame Professor Emerita Bríona Nic Dhiarmada chairing an evening with acclaimed authors Belinda McKeon, Martina Evans and Neil Tully. The evening concludes with a sports panel featuring Michael Duignan, Tom Dempsey, William Maher and Ursula Jacob moderated by Paul Collins.

Friday’s Speakers’ Lunch features acclaimed foreign correspondent Lara Marlowe, who will reflect on reporting from Washington, Paris, Ukraine and conflict zones around the world, and on the enduring importance of journalism.

One of the headline speakers is Maria Cardona, a leading Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator, who held senior communications roles in Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, served as a key surrogate for Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns and later acted as an informal adviser to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. She is recognised as one of the most influential Latino political strategists in the United States.

Music and culture also take centre stage with an evening exploring Bob Dylan and the Kennedy era, featuring Professor Anne Margaret Daniel, Hot Press founder Niall Stokes and researcher Jack Campbell, examining Dylan’s lasting influence on the social and political changes of the 1960s.

Politics remains central to the programme, with a special panel marking one hundred years of Fianna Fáil and another examining whether the transatlantic alliance can withstand today’s geopolitical uncertainty. Contributors, including Brad Setser of the Council on Foreign Relations, Naomi O’Leary, Aisling Brady and security expert Tony Cudmore, will explore what lies ahead for Europe and America.

Children’s online safety will also come under the spotlight in a discussion chaired by former Twitter executive Sinéad McSweeney, featuring Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon, Niamh Hodnett, representatives from An Garda Síochána and ShoutOut.

The US Politics panel, moderated by Larry Donnelly, will bring together Professor Scott Lucas, David Quinn, Marion McKeone and Sarah Ryan to examine the rapidly evolving political landscape ahead of the US midterm elections. Two events. Will focus on Irish politics, the first is chaired by Ivan Yates on a ‘Life in Politics’ with Brendan Howlin and Barry Heneghan, followed by an Irish politics panel discussion with Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP & Edward Timmins TD, chaired by Mark Hennessy.

Set against the backdrop of New Ross and the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, the Kennedy Summer School continues to celebrate the values of public service, international cooperation and intellectual curiosity that defined President Kennedy.

The Kennedy Summer School is supported by Wexford County Council, Purdue University, The Purdue Policy Research Institute, Boston College and the OPW.

Launching the programme, Chairperson Eileen Dunne shared:“Each year, the Kennedy Summer School creates a space where ideas can be exchanged, important conversations can take place, and people from different backgrounds can come together. We are delighted to unveil a programme that reflects the spirit of curiosity, public service and international outlook that defined President Kennedy.

“From science and literature to politics, international affairs and culture, this year’s programme offers something for everyone. We are especially proud to welcome speakers of exceptional calibre to New Ross, a town with a unique place in the Kennedy story, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from across Ireland and beyond.”