Goldsmith Festival returns, with focus on social inequality

The 41st Oliver Goldsmith Festival will take place on the June bank holiday weekend, bringing a vibrant programme of debate, music, literature and drama to Ballymahon and surrounding parts of Goldsmith Country.

Speaking at the official media launch at Nally’s Corner House in Ballymahon, festival chairperson Arthur Conlon said the team behind this long-running event are proud to represent a region rich in heritage, cultural ambition, and community pride.

“We are a dual-county event. Goldsmith Country and Goldsmith himself straddled south Longford and south Westmeath. But we have to acknowledge the tremendous support from both counties, especially the officers and elected representatives in Longford,” he said.

The festival theme this year, ‘Where wealth accumulates and men decay’, a line from the works of Oliver Goldsmith, was chosen to spark reflection on modern economic inequality.

“Ireland by virtually all metrics is an extremely wealthy country. So how come so many people are unhappy? Why isn’t everyone feeling the fruits of our success?” he asked.

This year’s festival explores the widening gap in wealth and wellbeing, particularly in the aftermath of Covid-19, which Mr Conlon said was “supposed to be a great leveler” but instead “has seen income inequality broaden in Ireland and across the world”.

The packed programme spans 48 hours and includes lectures, theatre, music, comedy, and community celebrations: “We have food, craft beer, poetry, cabaret, debates, and live music – from classical and choral to traditional Irish,” he said. “It’s the very definition of a festival.”

Friday evening opens with music from the Innyside Singers, followed by official speeches from Senator Michael McDowell, Fine Gael TD for Longford Westmeath Micheál Carrigy, and keynote speaker, Professor Frances Ruane.

Saturday includes the popular Goldsmith Literary Tour – a bus trip through Goldsmith sites – and live performances in Skelly’s Courtyard, as well as live music and readings in The Three Jolly Pigeons.

Music will be a central thread throughout the weekend, which Mr Conlon said is a fitting tribute to Goldsmith. “He hadn’t a shilling, but music kept him alive – he literally sang for his supper. So it’s appropriate that music is such an essential part.”

Among the literary highlights are lectures in the Goldsmith Room of Ballymahon Library from Professor David O’Shaughnessy and Irish Times columnist Frank McNally. The weekend concludes with the Goldsmith Miscellany, a Sunday Miscellany-style reading session featuring speakers from across the region, and the annual poetry competition in Pallas.

The festival has enjoyed consistent support from local authorities, and the Longford county librarian Martina Needham praised the collaborative approach to community arts funding.

“You are small but you are mighty,” she told attendees. “The welcome you get in Longford is like none I’ve ever known. I think it’s a really good example of the community and the council working together to achieve something much bigger than the sum of its parts.”

She also praised the creativity and legacy of the organising team. “You don’t think in straight lines. You create things that last. The fact that this festival is going 41 years is a testament not just to yourselves but to those who came before.”

The 41st Oliver Goldsmith Festival runs from May 31 to June 1, and events are in Ballymahon, Pallas, and other locations across Goldsmith Country. Programmes and tickets are available via Eventbrite and the festival’s social media channels.

Tickets for the entire festival are €25; see olivergoldsmithfestival.com.