A new and exciting audio tour has been launched to guide visitors along Longford’s 73km Literary Trail. The audio tour, which celebrates Longford’s rich literary history at nine points along the trail, is now freely accessible to visitors online at Longford.ie
The audio tour includes interviews with local people and dramatic excerpts of actors from Longford’s Backstage Theatre, covering the rich history of literature around the county.
Longford’s notable literary connections include links to figures as well-known as Jane Austen and Oscar Wilde, as well as Longford-born writers, poets, and playwrights.
Maria Edgeworth was based in Edgeworthstown, and her story is well presented in the Maria Edgeworth Visitor Centre. Oliver Goldsmith was born in Longford and educated in Edgeworthstown. You can visit his birthplace and many of the locations included in his poems and plays. Ardagh Village is the location of his famous romantic play She Stoops to Conquer. Visitors who continue along the trail into Ballymahon can see where Goldsmith lived for many years and, through the audio, travel back in time to the rural Irish town. Continuing back to Longford town will take tourists to where the famous Irish poet Padraic Colum was born.
The county-wide Longford literary story can be explored on this driving trail, with an option of audio in English and Irish. There are QR codes to scan at each of the nine stops to access the audio. The addition of the audio to this trail enhances the experience, bringing the rich legacy back to life for locals and visitors alike.
In 2022, Longford Tourism also enhanced the Longford Rebel Trail with the addition of QR codes and audio at each stop. The audio for the Longford Rebel Trail is available in English, Irish and French. All these audio tracks are available to listen to on the audio section of Longford.ie
The Longford Literary Trail is 73km long, the Longford Rebel Trail is 71km, and the Mid-Shannon Trail covers a distance of 98km, making them easily manageable over the course of a visit to the county.
For further information, including the monthly local events guide, check out Longford.ie and follow Longford Tourism on social media to stay up to date on all there is to do in County Longford.
