Talk on the Life of Ballymahon's Dean Egan and The Dean Egan Library

What to Expect

Ballymahon Library hosts a ninety minute evening talk during National Heritage Week on Dean Egan and the book collection that carries his name. The Dean Egan Library is one of the more unusual holdings in County Longford, a historic collection of volumes associated with the Dean and preserved locally rather than dispersed, and the talk covers both the man’s life and how the books came to be where they are.

Talks of this kind are where a lot of Longford local history actually gets recorded, and the library setting means the material being discussed is close at hand. Expect a mix of biography, church and parish history and the practical story of how an old book collection survives, gets catalogued and stays accessible.

It is one of a cluster of Heritage Week events at the branch. Ballymahon Library also runs Heritage at Play, an all-day drop-in session, on Wednesday 19 August from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Good to Know

• Thursday 20 August 2026, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
• Ballymahon Library, Ballymahon, Co. Longford.
• Free to attend.
• Library membership is required for library events and is free to join at the desk or online.
• Check the Longford Libraries events calendar in case registration is needed, or ring 043 334 3300.
• Part of the National Heritage Week 2026 programme in County Longford, which runs from 15 to 23 August.
• Also that evening in the county: Gerry Donlon launches Tales of Bards Aloud at Lanesboro Library at 6:00 PM.

Getting There

Ballymahon is in south County Longford at the crossing of the River Inny, about 22 kilometres south of Longford town and roughly 25 kilometres north of Athlone. The library is on the town’s broad main street, which is one of the widest in the midlands and easy to park on.

Drivers from Longford take the N55 or R392 south. From Athlone, head north on the N55. From Mullingar, come west on the R392. Center Parcs Longford Forest is a few minutes outside the town, so the roads are well signposted. Bus Eireann route 70 between Athlone and Longford serves Ballymahon, and Local Link runs services to the surrounding villages. There is free on-street parking along the main street.