Maria Edgeworth Festival 2026

Our 2026 Festival began with a visit from Kara Owen from the British Embassy in Dublin to the Maria Edgeworth Centre, accompanied by Kerry McCall Magan of British Council Ireland and Audrey Whitty National Library of Ireland. Afterwards they visited Edgeworthstown Library where the Ambassador officially launched 30th Maria Edgeworth Festival. It was a great honour and a lovely occasion. Following this occasion there was an Art Workshop in the Maria Edgeworth Centre hosted by Angela Tuite while Matt Farrell took a group of people on a guided tour of the town.
Head Librarian in Edgeworthstown. Kim Taylor, officially opened the Art Exhibition in Co:Worx which featured midlands artists. The art was beautifully done and this exhibition continues to showcase the talent people in the area.
The final event of the day took place in the Green with Noelle Lynskey reading from and talking about her poetry followed by Vitor Vicente who spoke on the topic of travel writing. Both speakers encouraged audience interaction and people shared their own stories and commented on the poetry. It was a nice ending to the first day of the Festival.

We welcomed back Charlie Byrne’s bookshop to the Maria Edgeworth Centre on Day Two of the festival. As the weather forecast was unsettled the bookshop was setup inside the Centre. In Co:Worx the final day of the Art Exhibition was underway and a workshop on the making of Carrickmacross Lace was being held. Poetry and short story workshops too place in the Green facilitated by Molly Twomey (poetry) and Órfhlaith Foyle (short stories). Aspiring writers took advantage of these workshops to enhance their writing skills..
For those keen on exercise there were Yoga Classes on offer in the Community Centre, again, the weather forcing things indoors but it was nice to have the alternative venue.
Doctor Melissa Shiels and Carrie O’Flynn took us back to the lifetime of Maria Edgeworth and the fashions that she might have worn during her many years. It was a fascinating glimpse into what the well dressed ladies of the period were wearing. The recreations of the costumes really brought the story to life. Another lady bringing stories to life was best selling author Chele Crawley, author of ‘Lady Dixon’s Niece’. In conversation with committee member Elizabeth Fitzsimons Chele told us how the book came to be in her mind, how health issues had influenced her thinking and how the fascination of the Regency era still draw people to read books like hers and watch movies and series set in this era.
In a change of pace there was an excellent talk on foraging in the Walled Garden given by Octavia Tulloch – filled with interesting information on edible plants that many would not be aware of and are usually considered as weeds.
Once again we returned to the Green for the final event of the evening – the Festival Soiree. The first half of the evening featured music by Aoife Mulligan, a talented local singer then it was adjudication time with Molly Twomey and Órfhlaith Foyle giving their comments on the entries for our Literary Competitions. They presented winners and highly Commended with certificates to mark the occasion. Reading took place of some of the entries and the authors read from their own work.
After a brief break the second half of the show began with the presentation of LOLA MONTEZ & LADY MORGAN – AN IMAGINGED CONVERSATION by Maura Logue with Marianne Fahy. It was a splendidly written and acted drama that brought the historical characters to life and revealing their lives in the forty five minutes or so of drama. It was a fantastic way to end the evening and the second day of the Festival.

Day three was dominated by the weather and outdoor events were moved inside – the 18th Century Tea Party, always one of the Festival Highlights was moved indoors the Community Centre. The Artisan Market stalls and Yoga Workshop were also moved to the Community Centre.
Our continued interest in the Regency era culminated in a Dance workshop and later performance guided by Doctor Melissa Shiels. Longford Writers entertained us with samples of their work and local musicians provided more entertainment for all those who were enjoy tea and conversations at their tables.
Our final art event of the weekend was the life drawing workshop facilitated by artist Sylvia Corcoran where a full class worked on their drawing skills, many of them in period costume.
All through the day local volunteers kept cups full, distributed cake and sandwiches and kept the atmosphere bubbling over as people enjoyed the Tea Party. many young and older guests took the time to dress up in costumes adding a fantastic look to the occasion and the stall holders welcomed those who were curious about the art and goods on display and those who wanted to purchase.
Back down in the Green was another new event for us when we welcomed the Midlands bug and Reptile Zoo to town. Over five half hour sessions John Dunbar and his team introduced giant tarantulas and stick insects, snakes and other fascinating reptiles to audiences of all ages. Attendees were captivated by the chance to get up close to some of nature’s most unusual creatures. John’s enthusiasm and knowledge made for a fun, interactive and educational experience, with plenty of opportunities for questions and photos.
So our Festival came to it’s end – a packed three days and we would like to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this year’s festival such a memorable success.
To all our visitors, participants, performers, speakers, artists, writers, workshop leaders and competition entrants — thank you for bringing such warmth, creativity, talent and enthusiasm to Edgeworthstown over the weekend. Seeing so many people come together to celebrate literature, art, history and community spirit was truly special.
A very special thank you goes to our amazing volunteers, CE and CSP workers, staff and supporters who worked tirelessly behind the scenes before and throughout the festival. Events like this simply could not happen without your dedication, generosity and community spirit.
Finally we would also like to sincerely thank all of our sponsors and supporters for their continued encouragement and generosity:
C&D Foods, Paul & Vincent, Railway Lodge B&B, Michael Carrigy, Tullys Pharmacy Edgeworthstown, Longford Tourism, Longford County Council, County Longford Arts Services. A special word to Edgeworthstown Community Centre for hosting our events when the weather was unkind, to Peter Costello the man with the sound and lights and to Kim Taylor at Edgeworthstown Library and to Clare McEnroe and Aideen Brennan who hosted events in Co:Worx.