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As part of the Literary Festival we are offering workshops in Poetry writing, Short Story writing and Storytelling. Details of this year’s workshops are shown below. Clicking on the facilitator’s name will bring up a brief biography. Use the Book button to reserve a spot at a work shop.
Time: 11.00 a.m. – 01.00 p.m
Price: € 25 per person
Venue: The Green, Edgeworthstown N39 VW40
What this workshop covers:
The Archive of Memory
‘two hares rose up in the field beyond
a vixen cried out, her throat full of moon’
from Landscape of the Body
In this workshop we will explore our inner and outer landscapes and the restful simplicity of embodied, sensual writing as we delve into the archive of memory, eg; a place that you love, objects, scents, rhythms and sounds. These simple explorations can then become poems with structures, rhythms and forms that emerge organically in surprising new ways
Best-selling author of Irish-set crime novels and award-winning short story writer.
Adjudicator for our 2025 Short Story Competition
Time: 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Price: € 25 per person
Venue: The Green, Edgeworthstown N39 VW40
What this workshop covers: –
Crafting Realistic Characters and Engaging Plots: A Workshop on Writing Impactful Short Stories
To create a truly engaging short story, it’s essential to build characters that readers can connect with—whether they evoke love, anger, sympathy, or intrigue. In the first part of this workshop, we’ll delve into proven techniques for developing realistic and compelling characters, look at examples from renowned authors and have a go at hands-on exercises where participants can apply these techniques.
In the second half, we’ll take these characters and explore how plot unfolds naturally from their desires and conflicts. By understanding our characters, we’ll discover how they shape the story’s direction and momentum.
By the workshop’s end, participants will not only understand the essentials of crafting vivid characters and dynamic plots but will also have the foundational elements to write a new short story.
A relaxed, interactive workshop, it is suitable for both beginners and more experienced writers.
Time: 10.30 a.m. – 01.30 p.m.
Price: € 25 per person
Venue: The Maria Edgeworth Centre, Edgeworthstown, N39 E3C8
What this workshop covers: –
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MondayClosed
Tuesday10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Adult €7.50
Children 10 to 16 €3
2 Adults & 2 Children €15
Adult is 16 years+
Family Ticket is 4 family members together
Children under ten are free but must be accompanied by an Adult
The Maria Edgeworth Centre is operated under the direction of the Edgeworthstown District Development Association (EDDA) – a Not for Profit Voluntary Community based registered charity Reg:223373. Registered Charity Number 20101916
© 2023 Maria Edgeworth Centre – All Rights Reserved
Lani O’ Hanlon is a writer and somatic movement therapist living in West Waterford. Her writing is published internationally in various journals including Southword, Poetry, Portland Review, Poetry Ireland and the Irish Times and broadcast on RTE’s Sunday Miscellany. Winner of the Poetry Ireland Trocaire Award in 2022 and with director Fiona Aryan – The Bloomsday Award for Poetry Film in 2024, other prizes include: Dromineer, Bridport, Poetry on the Lake and shortlisted for the Hennessy Literary Award / Emerging Fiction. Her poetry collection Landscape of the Body (2023) is published by The Dedalus Press.
Lani is a highly experienced facilitator/voice-over/reader/performer with an MA in creative writing from Lancaster University, she works as a poet in palliative care, mental health and well-being with Waterford Healing Arts and facilitates creative writing, well-being and somatic movement retreats in the South East. She is the author of Dancing the Rainbow, Holistic Well-Being through Movement, Mercier Press and is a member of the Laban Guild for Dance and Drama.
Tríona Walsh is a best-selling author of Irish-set crime novels, all of which have been translated internationally. She is also an award-winning short story writer, having won the Molly Keane and Jonathan Swift competitions with The White Mulberry and Perhaps the Flames. Her shortlisted story Salt was broadcast on RTÉ Radio One as part of the Francis MacManus competition series.
Growing up, she loved the works of Agatha Christie and John Grisham, and now devours anything by Jane Casey, Kate Atkinson, and Ruth Ware. Despite her love for these authors, Tríona longed for crime novels set not in faraway America or the UK, but here at home in Ireland. Her three crime novels are set in real Irish locations—among the ancient ruins of Inis Mór, deep in the forests of a reimagined Moore Hall in Co. Mayo, and by the wild, windswept Fanad Lighthouse in Co. Donegal.
Her short stories explore the complexity of human relationships and the lengths we will go to for love and connection.
Steve Lally is an international storyteller and best selling author. He takes his stories far and wide and is passionate about breathing life into this vital and significant art form. Lally’s repertoire of tales ranges from ancient Celtic epics of Ireland and beyond, to stories of adventure and romance. He has written three books on Irish Folklore and his work is also a part of a major Anthology of Irish Folk Tales. His faith and love of folklore expresses itself through humorous anecdotes, quirky comic tales and haunting ghost stories. He has also co-written with his wife Paula, a unique anthology of Fairy Stories from the 32 counties of Ireland entitled ‘Irish Gothic’. Be prepared to be taken on a magical journey through the ethereal wall that separates our world from theirs…
