Free event! The National Famine Way™ Roadshow is coming to Longford

The National Famine Way™ Roadshow goes on tour during March 2026, visiting seven locations along the route, and will be in Ballymahon, Co Longford on Tuesday, March 10.  Each roadshow will consist of informative talks and presentations by leading local and international famine historians, led by Caroilín Callery, founder of the National Famine Way™.

The Longford Roadshow event takes place on Tuesday, March 10, at 10.30am in Ballymahon Library and everyone is welcome to attend. There is no admission charge, but it is essential to register in advance by emailing nationalfamineway@gmail.com. Speakers include Caroilín Callery and Dr. Jason King, Academic Coordinator of the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park and the Irish Heritage Trust. County Archivist Martin Morris and Matt Farrell from the Maria Edgeworth Centre in Edgeworthstown.

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Speaking about the 2026 Roadshow, Caroilín Calleary said, “I am so pleased to be involved in this, the second Roadshow. It’s a great opportunity to visit each of the communities along the route again making the history of the Irish famine more visible.  We hope to deepen the connections in each while honouring the memory of Strokestown’s missing 1490 and those of each of the communities we pass through many of whom walked the same trail”. 

These free events bring a poignant yet compellingly fascinating part of our history to life. The national walking route is centred around the forced march of 1,490 emigrants from Strokestown, Co. Roscommon where the first Roadshow takes place.

The National Famine Way™ Roadshow is presented by the Irish Heritage Trust in collaboration with the seven local authorities along the trail (Roscommon County Council, Longford County Council, Westmeath County Council, Meath County Council, Kildare County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council). 

Each event will include different speakers as well as local expert historians who can explain the famine emigrant story with county specific knowledge. This is a superb opportunity to ask questions of the experts and to examine the local connections. Updates on speakers at each local event will be given through www.nationalfamineway.ie.

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The National Famine Way™ is a 165km way marked walking and cycling trail commemorating a heartbreaking walk of forced emigration which took place in 1847 at the height of the Irish famine.  It begins at the memorial glass wall at The National Famine Museum | Strokestown Park in Roscommon and continues through six counties to EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin’s Docklands. The route is poignantly marked by more than 30 pairs of bronze children’s shoes and the route and associated stories can be followed through a free app. Walkers can also purchase an official passport to get stamped along the route. A nine day Remembrance Walk along the full route will take place from May 16-24, 2026.