Oliver Goldsmith Literary Festival returns to south Longford this weekend

This year’s festival theme is ‘Citizens of the World’: Ireland’s Emigrants and Immigrants.

Dr Diarmaid Ferriter Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin, Anna Sochanska Ambassador of Poland to Ireland, and former RTÉ midlands correspondent Ciarán Mullooly will open proceedings at The Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule, Co Longford, on Friday, June 2 at 8pm.

Professor Ferriter will deliver his keynote address titled “There are People Dreaming”: Emigration and Modern Irish History, at the opening night, with Ambassador Sochanska officially opening the festival.

A series of talks, live theatre, and musical performances will take place in Ballymahon and Tang on Saturday (June 3) featuring Dr Liam Chambers, Head of the Department of History at Mary Immaculate College, who will talk on ‘The Irish in Europe in the Age of Goldsmith’ at 11am in the Goldsmith Room, Ballymahon Community Library and this will be followed at 12.10pm by Liam O’Dwyer of the Irish Red Cross who will present a session titled ‘Migration, the Future Shrouded in a Crisis’.

Other speakers include preeminent Goldsmith scholar Professor Michael Griffin of the University of Limerick and Longford councillor Uruemu Adejinmi, who became the first black female African Municipal District Cathaoirleach to be elected in Ireland, who will speak on 'My Nigerian Irish Heritage'.

Acclaimed Irish actor, Michael J Ford of Dead Still and RTÉ legal drama Striking Out will make a welcome return to the 2023 programme to deliver a dramatic composition called ‘Goldsmith The Glory Years’ in Skelly’s Courtyard on Saturday at 4pm.

On Sunday, June 4, from 12 noon, the popular 'Miscellany Session' at the Goldsmith Room in Ballymahon community library will be chaired by Seamus McCormack and it will hear special contributions from many well-known local speakers and writers, including Bernie Comaskey, Donal O’Brien, Dr Don Duncan, Paul Timoney, and Claire Kenny.

While the winning entrants of the heavily subscribed Goldsmith children and adult poetry competitions will be announced at Poetry in Pallas (Goldsmith's Birthplace) in the afternoon adjudicated by award-winning poets Gerard Smyth of The Irish Times and Mary Melvin Geoghegan.

For more information on the 39th annual Oliver Goldsmith Literary Festival programme, tickets, and this year’s theme – ‘Citizens of the World: Ireland’s Emigrants and Immigrants – log onto: https://olivergoldsmithfestival.com/