Tánaiste to open this year's Goldsmith Festival

Claire McCormack

The cream of Ireland’s literati will converge on the Midlands over the June bank holiday weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Oliver Goldsmith Literary Festival.

Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, journalist and author Justine McCarthy of The Irish Times, and preeminent Goldsmith scholar Professor Michael Griffin of the University of Limerick (UL) are among the speakers that were announced at the press launch for the festival in Athlone on Friday week last.

Large crowds are expected to arrive in ‘Goldsmith Country’ – which covers south Westmeath and Longford – for the weekend, providing a welcome boost to the local economy, and continuing to spotlight the region as a major tourist and cultural attraction.

The theme of this year’s festival is: ‘Nothing he did not adorn’ – The Oliver Goldsmith Festival at 40, and the committee are confident the event will continue in a successful manner with a programme of events that includes a number of receptions, discussions, a bus tour of Goldsmith Country, a new theatrical performance, a visit to Goldsmith’s birthplace, and a poetry competition.

The festival begins at The Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule, on Friday May 31, where the official opening by An Tánaiste Micheál Martin will take place at 7.30pm.

Professor Michael Griffin will then tackle the topic: ‘A Year of Goldsmith Anniversaries’; and award-winning columnist and public speaker Justine McCarthy will then deliver her keynote address titled: ‘Ireland, I hardly know you’.

Proceedings continue at 10am on the Saturday with the Goldsmith Literary Tour beginning at the Goldsmith Monument in Ballymahon and then travelling to Lissoy Parsonage, the Hawthorn Bush, the Busy Mill, and the Three Jolly Pigeons, among other key locations. The tour will include some short readings from Goldsmith at selected sites.

At noon, four distinguished academics of 18th century literature will guide an exploration into the works of the literary figure in the Goldsmith Room at Ballymahon Library. The contributors includes Prof Aileen Douglas of Trinity College Dublin’s School of English, on ‘Goldsmith and Marriage’, Ian Campbell Ross, Emeritus Professor also of the TCD School of English, will speak on ‘Goldsmith as a Writer of Fiction’; and English lecturer Dr James Ward of Ulster University will delve into ‘Goldsmith Criticism and Scholarship since 1900’.

The session will by chaired by Prof Michael Griffin of the UL School of English, who is also a member of the festival committee.

The popular ‘Goldsmith Live’ session is at Skelly’s Courtyard, Ballymahon, from 2.30pm along with a display of classical music, bookstalls, costumes, food and drink for all to enjoy, including a performance by returning string quartet Simply Strings.

At 4pm acclaimed stage and screen actor Michael J Ford, alongside a number of other performers, will deliver ‘The Misadventures of Oliver Goldsmith’ – a new play about Goldsmith’s often chaotic life, charting his youthful adventures and travels and his rise to prominence in the London literary scene.

The day’s festivities finish at The Three Jolly Pigeons in Tang, where, from 8.30pm, guests can enjoy an enriching mix of traditional music and Goldsmith readings.

Festivities recommence at noon on the Sunday in the Goldsmith Room, Ballymahon Library, for the ‘Goldsmith Miscellany with Musical Accompaniment’, where contributions will be provided by Robin Baird, Niall Nally, Denis Glennon, John Casey, and Sean Ryan. The session will be chaired by festival president Seamus McCormack.

The festival winds up at 3.30pm 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 – and chaired by Anne Tully.

Poet and editor Eugene O’Connell, Cork, will provide a poetry reading of his finest works, and a cheese and wine reception will then close the 40th festival.

Speaking at the press launch, Goldsmith Festival chairman Arthur Conlon said the main aim of this year’s event is “to celebrate and reflect” on the achievements and evolution of the festival and the country over the last four decades.

“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 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, visit: olivergoldsmithfestival.com.