Granard Gathering celebrates work of one of Longford's great writers, Padraic Colum

The Padraic Colum Gathering was held in Granard Community Library on Saturday, October 5. This annual event celebrates the work of one of Longford’s great writers and his wife, Mary, who was also a writer and a literary critic.

The event is organised by Longford County Library, Archives, Arts and Heritage Services and this year it was supported by the Commemorations Programme run by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

The Gathering was opened by Longford Municipal District Cathaoirleach Seamus Butler who has a long-standing interest in Colum and his work, and was one of the key people in establishing the event in 2017.

The morning session consisted of two fascinating lectures. Gearoid O’Brien from Athlone, retired librarian and well-known local historian, was the first speaker.
He recalled visits by Padraic Colum to his home, mainly in the 1960s, when Colum attended literary events in Athlone.
Gearoid also spoke about the importance of Colum’s writings for children and his own long-term interest in them.

Professor Margaret Kelleher, holder of the Chair of Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama in UCD, gave the second lecture. She is currently writing a joint biography of Padraic and Mary.
Her lecture touched on some of the new information she has unearthed while researching archives both here and in the USA. She hopes to publish her book in late 2025.
The afternoon began with readings of some of Colum’s work by three members of Granard Writers’ Group: Seamus Finnan, Déirdre Orme and Sr Maeve Brady. One of their choices was from ‘The Poet’s Circuits’.

The final part of the programme was a performance based on Colum’s play ‘Thomas Muskerry’, by children from the Sacred Heart NS in Granard.

It was directed by Hannah Carleton, a drama facilitator, who had been working with the children since early September. The participants brought great energy and enthusiasm to their roles and everyone agreed that it was a great way to end the Gathering.
Granard Municipal District Cathaoirleach Garry Murtagh, brought proceedings to a formal close. He thanked all involved and hoped that the event would continue to raise awareness of Padraic and Mary Colum.

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