A Visit to Edgeworthstown worth your while?

Recently the novelist Amelia Chambers payed a visit to Edgeworthstown and the Maria Edgeworth Center. She gives a wonderful account of the time she spent at the Center and in our beloved town. Discovering the Anglo-Irish author Maria Edgeworth.

There is more to Edgeworthstown

Its not just Maria Edgeworth. On one of our town walks – the Edgeworthstown’s Heritage & Literary Trail, offered by the Maria Edgeworth Centre, you can discover far more. Following in the footsteps of Oliver Goldsmith, Sir Walter Scott, William Wordsworth and Oscar Wilde. Visiting his sisters grave. Hearing about the connections to Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. Marveling at Harry Clark’s stained glass window. A visit to Edgeworthstown means getting close to… Literary Legends… Inventive Intellects and… Enlightened Educationalists. And by the way…why do they call Edgeworthstown – Mostrim? Finally the guided town walk finishes up with a visit to the impressive Maria Edgeworth Centre.

What has Amelia Chambers to say about her visit to Edgeworthstown

Below is the opening paragraph of her blog post, an image she took and a link to the rest of the article which we heartily recommend reading.

The name Jane Austen would be familiar to many, bringing to mind perhaps rural landscapes, stately homes and an assortment of characters attending tea parties and balls. It was therefore somewhat surprising to discover that the Anglo-Irish author, Maria Edgeworth, who lived for much of her life in the small town named after her, was far more popular, and sold far more books in her lifetime, than Austen. In fact, between 1800 and 1814 she was the most highly paid author writing in English. So why has she almost disappeared, whereas Austen’s work is the subject of TV programmes and film remake after remake? To read more visit her blog here.