“We do not understand the worth of water until the well is dry”
The Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025: Literature, Arts and Movement brought Longford to life with a weekend full of creativity, learning, and community celebration. From thought-provoking talks on Maria Edgeworth’s legacy to hands-on workshops in yoga, Regency dance, and Carrickmacross lace-making, the festival offered something for everyone. With art exhibitions, literary competitions, and interactive performances, the festival not only honoured the pioneering spirit of Maria Edgeworth but also showcased the rich cultural talent of the region. Sunny skies and vibrant participation ensured that the Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025 will be remembered as one of the most engaging and inspiring events of the year.
This year, the Maria Edgeworth Festival of Literature and Arts has embraced a new dimension with the addition of the word “Movement” to its title. As we strive to enhance the festival experience, we are constantly seeking innovative events to draw in more participants for our festival weekend.
The quotation above was from a talk by Doctor Linda Doyle, Provost of Trinity College Dublin who gave a talk to an attentive audience on the history of Trinity College, the way Maria Edgeworth shaped and influenced Education and the value that Maria’s work has today.
Meanwhile, in the Maria Edgeworth Centre Melissa Shiels, a PhD graduate from UCC was enthralling another audience with her talk on fashion from the time of Maria Edgeworth, a talk enhanced by costume changes and demonstrations that brought the story to life. Melissa also devoted a class to the making of a Georgian petticoat.
With these two events the Maria Edgeworth Festival of Literature, Arts & Movement 2025 was up an running, months of planning and organizing had boiled down to one big question – would we get the weather?
Every amateur and professional meteorologist had an opinion, every new day brough anxious looks to the skies and no topic seemed to dominate everyday conversation. It was, of course, the one thing that could not be planned for.
In the end our fears were groundless, the weather proceeded to enhance each day’s events, happy people ebbed and flowed through the town making their way to and from events at the Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025.
In the Library, art was the theme with Angela Tuite local artist, helping her students though the intricacies and techniques of bringing their visions to life.
Shane Crossan, Arts Officer opened an exhibition of local artists in Co:Worx, including in his address a quote from author Ursula Le Guin – “The creative adult is the child wo survived” and summed up nicely the efforts of so many in our communities who, not only paint, but also perform on stage, sing, play music and entertain us.
Festival chairman Matt Farrell led guests on a heritage trail, sharing stories of the Edgeworth family and historical sites around Longford.
The trail highlighted the connections and friendships that shaped the local community and the Edgeworth legacy.
While creative adults might be children at heart, the Mostrim Players Youth Group showcased the young talent in town with a special show in the Green.
Then it was back to Co:Worx and adults showing off their literary skills with the open mic poetry readings organized by the Longford Writers Group.
More local talent was on display later in the Green where Enda Whitney made us laugh with his stories of accents and misunderstandings. Then the local Comhaltas group took to the stage to entertain us with a selection of musical numbers at the Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025.
At this point you might be thinking that this was quite a varied program to fill up the weekend but you would be wrong, this was just day one – two days to go.
Another glorious sunlit day greeted us on Saturday down at the Maria Edgeworth Centre where Charlie Byrne had set up his pop-up bookshop. This was a lovely addition to the Festival program with a wide variety of books on sale at great value and a steady stream of customers during the day showed that literary entertainment is still of interest to many.
Literary pursuits of a different kind were taking place in the Green when the poetry and short story workshops were taking place. Facilitated by authors Lani O’Hanlon (Poetry) and Tríona Walsh(Short story), encouraged the writing talents of the future.
Also, in the Green the limber and agile Marta guided her students through the finer points of Yoga, guests browsed wellness stalls and had tarot readings or sat in the sun like human solar panels, soaking up energy. The Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025 provided opportunities for relaxation and mindful engagement.
The art exhibition continued in Co:Worx with visitors admiring the variety of art on display. To end off the exhibition Vitor Vicente was ‘Capturing the Irish Essence’ and introducing the audience to the art of Harry Kernoff and to his own poetry which was inspired by the art. A highlight of this event was a guest who brought an original Kernoff painting to the talk. Back at the Centre the storyteller Steve Lally demonstrated his story telling expertise to his students.
Then it was time for the Culture Night where the efforts of all the aspiring writers (entries from 13 countries!) who entered our story and poetry competitions would be acknowledged by Tríona and Lani and we would hear these authors read from their own work.
Mixed in was a performance from the fabulous Eimear Reynolds who sang some well-known tunes.
Then the singer and presenter Charlie McGettigan took time to have a conversation with the author Andrea Mara and we got to listen in and what a wonderful back and forth this was and we got a fascinating glimpse into the word of Andrea and her writing. Charlie himself sang a couple of his hist which got a great reception from the audience emphasized by their joining in on choruses. Eimear then rounded out the evening and day two was done.
Earlier that day, another type of artistic expression was facilitated by Catherine McEnroe who introduced her class to the intricacies of Carrickmacross Lace Making.
From early on the Green was a hive of activity as work took place to setup tables and chairs for the tea party that was taking place later in the day. Stall owners were also congregating and seeking out their allocated spots so they could set up their stalls and lay out their wares. The sun continued to dazzle us and moods were good to say the least.
Walking around town one could be forgiven for thinking they had travelled back in time or wandered onto the set of the latest Jane Austen adaptation (and why isn’t there a Maria Edgeworth series or film yet?? Producers need to get on this right away) as a number of men and women were dressed in ways that would not have seemed strange to the people of Maria Edgeworth’s time.
Peter Costello, sound engineer and performer, entertained the early arrivals to the Green and took a tour around the stalls and let the stall holders tell us a little about what they had on offer. Then the first guests started to arrive, and teas began to be served.
Meanwhile, in the Maria Edgeworth Centre Melissa Shiels was transforming some willing pupils into a Regency Dance performance troupe and the demonstration they gave afterwards in the Green was highly proficient and much admired – there wee enquiries from others as to where they could learn these dances.
Across the river Marta held her final event of the weekend – a yoga workshop while the wellness stalls and Tarot readings continued and there was a sound bath for those who wished to participate.
The Rose of Tralee is one of Ireland’s best known and loved events and the Longford Rose selected for 2025 was local lady Sara-Lee Greene and she was our special guest at the tea party, mingling with the crowd, posing graciously for photographs and she picked the people who won prizes for their excellent costumes and it was a tough choice, so many people made such a great effort.
Sara-Lee’s final contribution to the event was a performance where she sang for the audience.
And then it was all over, stalls were down, bunting, tables and chairs were packed away, everything was tided and cleaned and the 2025 Maria Edgeworth Festival of Literature, Arts & Movement came to an end.
To our brilliant facilitators, workshop leaders, speakers, performers and artists– thank you for your enthusiasm, dedication, and for enriching our programme with your knowledge and creativity.
To our loyal and new visitors, friends, and supporters, your presence and participation brought warmth, energy, and a strong sense of community to every event.
Behind the scenes, we are especially grateful to the members of the CE Programme – the lads whose hard work behind the scenes ensured everything was in the right place at the right time. The heavy lifting, setup, and quiet graft often go unseen, but never unappreciated!!!
We would also like to express our sincere thanks to our generous local sponsors – C&D Foods, Paul & Vincent, the Railway Lodge B&B, and North Midlands Credit Union – your continued support is vital and deeply valued.
And finally, to our supporters in the wider community – Longford County Council, Longford Tourism, Creative Ireland, the Department of Tourism, and Longford Local Community Resources – thank you for standing by us and helping us bring this festival to life year after year.
As the Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025 drew to a close, Longford was left buzzing with creativity, laughter, and a renewed appreciation for literature, arts, and movement. Every performance, workshop, and talk celebrated Maria Edgeworth’s enduring legacy while showcasing the vibrant talents of the local community and international participants. Thanks to the dedication of organisers, volunteers, artists, and generous sponsors, the festival was a resounding success. The Maria Edgeworth Festival 2025 truly demonstrated the power of community, culture, and creativity, shining a bright light on Longford as a hub of artistic and literary excellence.
