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09 Sept 2025

Tánaiste Micheál Martin in Longford to officially open 40th Goldsmith Festival

Chairperson Arthur Conlon: Our festival has stood the test of time

Tánaiste Micheál Martin in Longford to officially open 40th Goldsmith Festival

Seamus Mc Cormack (president), Brona Conlon, Arthur Conlon (chairman), Tony Tiernan, Tom Seery, Joe Farrell, Willie Flanagan (secretary) pictured at Trinity College Dublin (alma mater of Goldsmith)

Reporter:

Claire Mc Cormack

29 May 2024 1:36 PM

Email:

Goldsmith Festival PRO

The Oliver Goldsmith Literary Festival, now celebrating its 40th year, will be officially opened by Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin at The Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule, on Friday (May 31) at 7.30pm.
Award-winning journalist and author Justine McCarthy of The Irish Times, and pre-eminent Goldsmith scholar Professor Michael Griffin of the University of Limerick will also deliver keynote addresses on opening night to set the scene for the weekend-long event.
The theme of this year’s festival is: “Nothing he did not adorn” – The Oliver Goldsmith Festival at 40 and the committee is very confident that the event will continue in a most successful manner with a packed programme of events that includes a number of receptions, interesting discussions, a bus tour of ‘Goldsmith Country’ covering selected sites across south Westmeath and Longford, a live theatrical performance, a visit to Goldsmith’s birthplace, and a poetry competition.
Leading literary academics Professor Aileen Douglas and Professor Ian Campbell from Trinity College Dublin and Dr James Ward of Ulster University will explore Goldsmith’s scholarship and impact at a not-to-be-missed session in the Goldsmith Room at Ballymahon Library on Saturday at 12 noon.
Another key highlight is expected to be the popular ‘Goldsmith Live’ session which kicks off in Skelly’s Courtyard, Ballymahon, from 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon and will include the much-anticipated performance of ‘The Misadventures of Oliver Goldsmith’ –  a new play about Goldsmith’s life written and performed by acclaimed actor Michael J Ford and colleagues. The festival winds up at 3.30pm on Sunday June 2 at Goldsmith’s birthplace in Pallas with poetry readings from the winning entrants of the Goldsmith Poetry competitions adjudicated by poets Eugene O’Connell and Mary Melvin Geoghegan.
Ahead of the grand opening Goldsmith Festival chairman Arthur Conlon said: “Our festival has stood the test of time expanding from under an academic cloak to make Goldsmith’s writings accessible and relevant to today’s diverse and modern audiences.
“This year we are in a sense going back to basics and emphasising the breadth, vision, and continued influence of Goldsmith’s writings. Maintaining and indeed prospering an event of this type for 40 years is not easy and takes a dedicated committee and the support of local agencies and sponsors. We are very grateful to Longford and Westmeath County Councils, the Longford Arts Office, and our poetry sponsors, Nally Bros, Ballymahon.”
For more details on the Goldsmith Festival 2024 programme and to register for tickets please visit: www.olivergoldsmithfestival.com

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