Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival

Explore

... Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival
in Edgeworthstown

The annual Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival takes place every May here in Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, Ireland. From it’s initial beginnings almost thirty years ago the Festival has grown to incorporate talks for second level students, adult poetry, short story competitions and workshops, readings, historical trails, musical performances, nature walks, theatre performances and an 18th Century Costume Tea Party. This Festival in Edgeworthstown has established itself as one of the best Literary events on the Irish Calendar and has attracted visitors from all over Ireland and abroad who share an interest in Literary History.

For Festival related enquiries please contact us festival@mariaedgeworthcentre.com

Poetry & Short Story
Competition
2025

Literary Workshops
at Festival
2025

Festival
Preview
2025

Festival
Recaps

Literary Festival
History

Our Vision

... for the Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival

Maria Edgeworth, a contemporary of Jane Austen, was an 18th century enlightenment figure who made leaps and contributions in the subjects of science, education and politics. It’s the goal of the Festival and the Edgeworth Society to build on Maria’s legacy, and the legacy of her whole family, in the hopes that awareness will keep her ideals alive and benefit the local community.

Visit Us

... all year around in our Maria Edgeworth Centre

Discover more about Maria Edgeworth and her progressive thinking Family. Enjoy a self-guided tour of our Maria Edgeworth Visitor Centre, with audio options in seven different languages. Open all year around, the perfect destination to learn about local history.

We also offer walking tours of Edgeworthstown’s Heritage & Literary Trail, where you can see the impact great minds had on our town, including Oliver Goldsmith, Scott, Wordsworth, and more. Hence the name “The Town of the Great Writers” for our little countryside town in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.