Lelia Doolin is in Longford to visit the birthplace of writer Oliver Goldsmith.
Irish novelist, playwright and poet Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) was born in Pallas County Longford, the son of a Church of Ireland parson.
His family subsequently moved to Lissoy County Westmeath, and it is this location and memories of the nearby Glasson, Elphin and Edgeworthstown where he attended school, which have made up the background for his best known poem 'The Deserted Village'.
Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain,
Where health and plenty cheared the labouring swain,
Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed...
This nostalgic epic story which brought him success on London's literary scene is at its heart a commentary on,
Rural poverty and depopulation.
This 'Broadsheet’ report was broadcast on 21 May 1963. The reporter is Lelia Doolan.
'Broadsheet' was a magazine style, nightly review of people and events introduced by John O'Donoghue and presented by the Broadsheet Unit.
Statue of Oliver Goldsmith, Trinity College Dublin (1968)
