Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Keepin' it Welsh: Hopkins's ideas about "sprung rhythm" (the special meter he uses in much of his poetry) were inspired by Welsh poetry and the Welsh language. (Source.)
When he became a priest, Hopkins destroyed his early poems and swore that he'd "write no more… unless it were by the wish of my superiors." Luckily for us, he changed his mind later! (Source.)
Hopkins spent the last few years of his life (from 1884 to 1889) as a Professor of Greek in Dublin, Ireland. He didn't really like being a professor. Too bad—he was an awesome poet! (Source.)