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Welcome to our Maria Edgeworth Festival of Literature Arts Who was Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth Jane Austen s contemporary was an 18th century Enlightenment figure and her contribution to science literature education and politics is well documented She had achieved the status of literary celebrity by 1813 The Edgeworth Society is building on this legacy with the hope that a wider awareness will bring benefits to the local community They are proud to have opened the Maria Edgeworth Centre in the Old Schoolhouse in Edgeworthstown The building has been adapted to interpret the story of the Edgeworth Family Visitors can hear wonderful stories of Edgeworthstown s past and its connections with historical figures such as Goldsmith Scott Wordsworth Byron and Wilde and of course Maria Edgeworth What has the Maria Edgeworth Centre to offer Self guided Tour of Visitor Centre Duration 1 hour Audio Tour available in English Irish Spanish German Italian French Chinese The Museum contains many valuable artefacts some dating back to the 18th Century Recreation of a 19th century school room with original desks school books maps writing copies etc Edgeworthstown Literary Historical Trail Duration Approx 1 5 2 hours Guided tour of Literary Historical Edgeworthstown Following in the footsteps of Goldsmith Scott Wordsworth and many more Interesting features Planning a day out with Harry Clarke stained glass windows in St Mary s church your colleagues or friends Coach house established by Charles Bianconi Contact us and we will Grave of Isola Wilde Oscar Wilde s sister arrange an unforgettable Edgeworthstown House the former Edgeworth family home experience for you Includes visit to Maria Edgeworth Centre The Festival Open all year around Tuesday Friday 10am 5pm Saturday Sunday 11am 5pm Adult 5 Children 10 to 16 3 Children under 10 free For more Information visit www mariaedgeworthcentre com The Old Schoolhouse Ballymahon Rd Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39 E3C8 The Maria Edgeworth Festival takes place every year in May From it s initial beginnings over twenty six years ago the Festival has grown to incorporate talks for second level students primary school poetry competitions adult poetry short story competitions and workshops readings historical trails musical performances nature walks theatre performances and an 18th Century Costume Tea Party The Maria Edgeworth Literary 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 next Festival is coming in May 2024
Thursday 4th May 2023 11 30 a m 12 30 p m The Manor Revisited Active Retirement Event Edgeworth Enthusiasts will visit the former home of Maria Edgeworth and regale residents with stories and song Venue The Manor Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39 VR04 Admission Free 2 00 p m 4 00 p m Art Workshop with Artist Angela Tuite Venue The Green Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39VW40 Admission Fully Booked 3 00 p m 5 00 p m Art Exhibition Venue Co worx Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39AH64 Admission Free 7 00 p m 8 00 p m Friday 5th May 2023 Screening of Requiem for the Big House A documentary exploring the Big Houses of Longford It is In celebration of the 225th anniversary of Edgeworth s book Practical Education we are hosting an International Conference on Education with acclaimed speakers The Education of a Nation The Role of the Edgeworths Venue St Mary s Community Campus Ltd Granard Road Edgeworthstown County Longford N39 W425 the work of Dr Charles Lambert and Ronan Daly It is commissioned by Longford Library Heritage and Archives Services Venue The Green Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39VW40 Admission Free no pre booking or registration required 8 00 p m For more information about the International Conference and Conference Registration visit our website here The Edgeworths and Ireland s first male and female balloonists with Mark Davies 9 30 p m In 1812 the Edgeworth family travelled to Dublin to see the first attempt to cross the Irish sea in a hot air balloon by Mostrim Laughs Out Loud with Jimmy Jests Open Mic with Poetry Storytelling James Sadler The flight will be the subject of this talk Venue The Sportsman s Inn N39 P8D8 Venue The Green Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39VW40 Admission Free no pre booking or registration required Admission Free no pre booking or registration required Visit website here
Saturday 6th May 2023 Starts 10 00 a m Saturday 6th May 2023 Artisan Market 2 00 p m 5 00 p m will include locally produced Arts Crafts and Food Venue The Library Plaza Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39 F7Y8 Admission Free workshop will discuss sustainable living Venue Venue Admission The Walled Garden at the Manor Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39 VR04 Price 10 00 a m 11 00 a m Biodiversity Workshop with Aoife Munn 20 00 Places limited online booking required Childrens Natural Craft Workshop with Aoife Munn The Walled Garden at the Manor Edgeworthstown 8 00 p m 10 00 p m Culture Night Co Longford N39 VR04 Prize Winners Presentation and adjudicators 5 00 Places limited online booking required comments Poetry Reading Noel Monahan Short Story Reading David Butler Childrens Soap Making Workshop with Aoife Munn In conversation Venue The Library Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39 F7Y8 Writer Emilie Pine discusses life with Sinead Hussey Admission 10 00 Places limited online booking required RT Correspondent 11 30 a m 12 30 p m Musical entertainment with Simply Strings Quartet Refreshments served afterwards 11 00 a m 1 00 p m Poetry Workshop with Noel Monahan Venue The Green Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39VW40 Admission 20 00 Places limited online booking required Venue The Green Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39VW40 Admission 10 00 Places limited online booking required Book a Tour
Sunday 7th May 2023 Plaque unveiling in acknowledgment of Bernard Canavan 1 00 p m and the donation of his library to the Maria Edgeworth Centre refreshments served Venue The Marie Edgeworth Centre Edgeworthstown Co Longford Aoife Munn Aoife Munn is an Environmentalist and Horticulturist with a focus on sustainability through practical Learning As the judge for DLR Tidy Districts for many years Aoife identified a need to guide community groups towards more sustainable goals and specialises in courses and talks on increasing biodiversity sustainable planting plant propagation and waste reduction Her passion for protecting the environment is contagious and her courses are lively interactive and hands on believing we learn best through practical application Professor Emilie Pine N39 E3C8 Admission 2 00 p m 5 00 p m Free Emilie Pine is Professor of Modern Drama in the School of English Drama and Film in University College Dublin She has published widely as an academic and critic She is the author of the award winning essay collection Notes to Self which has been translated into fifteen languages and most recently the novel Ruth Pen 18th Century Mostrim Tea Party Afternoon of outdoor entertainment on the Green 2 00 p m Enjoy Tea Cakes in an 18th century atmosphere Entertainment includes 3 00 p m One hour drama The dead Poets Authors Society written and directed by Pauline Flood Performed by Mostrim Players 4 00 p m Jimmy Jests Poetry readings by Longford Writers Choir recital by the Innyside Singers Prizes awarded for best period costume Venue The Green Edgeworthstown Co Longford N39VW40 Admission Free event Donations welcome no pre booking or registration required Edgeworthstown is just over an hour from Dublin on the N4 and is well served by bus and train Jimmy Jests is a popular Longford comedian who has written produced and starred in hundreds of online video sketches He has in excess of 90k social media followers and continues to entertain daily with topical and hilarious content He can also be seen performing live at various stand up comedy shows David Butler David Butler s third novel City of Dis New Island was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2015 Arlen House brought out his second short story collection Fugitive and Doire Press his third poetry collection Liffey Sequence both in 2021 Awards for the short story include the Colm Toibin Benedict Kiely ITT Redline Fish International and Maria Edgeworth twice
Mark Davies Mark Davies is an Oxford local historian guide and author with a preference for the history and literature of the non University aspects of the city Oxford s waterways are a common theme in his books and talks an interest derived from having lived on a residential narrowboat on the Oxford Canal for 30 years Of note is Alice in Waterland his much praised unique take on the river rounded Oxford of Lewis Carroll Mark is also the biographer of James Sadler King of all Balloons an Oxford pastry cook who was the unlikely first Englishman to fly and whose visits to Ireland along with his aeronaut son Windham attracted enormous attention not least from the Edgeworth family Mark is a trustee of the Lewis Carroll Society on the committee of the Alliance of Literary Societies and Chair of the Jericho a distinctivel Oxford suburb Living Heritage Trust Angela Tuite Angela Tuite is a native of Westmeath now living in Edgeworthstown Co Longford She is a renowned Irish artist who has exhibited widely in Ireland and her work is held in many private collections throughout the world Her artistic talents have grown steadfastly over the years being influenced by the impressionists working mostly on both silk canvas wood and antique slate Angela facilitates workshops for both adults and children encouraging their selfexpression and artistic experimentation She has recently retired as an Art and Design Tutor with Longford Westmeath Education Training Board delivering workshops throughout the Midlands While the majority of her work deals with nature based themes such as landscapes treescapes still life and abstract she loves to explore the magical and mythological essence of nature through her vibrant paintings Her ideas emotions and visual experiences are expressed through her love of colour texture and fabric The lustre of silk adds vibrancy to her paintings with the running and blending of colours creating unique magical effects Noel Monahan Noel Monahan is a poet and dramatist born in Granard Co Longford and living in Cavan He has eight collections of poetry His most recent collection Chalk Dust was published by Salmon Poetry in 2018 and adapted for stage the following year Noel s literary awards include The SeaCat National Award organised by Poetry Ireland The Hiberno English Poetry Award The Irish Writer s Union Poetry Award The William Allingham Poetry Award The Kilkenny Prize for Poetry He won The P J O Connor RTE Radio Drama Award for his play Broken Cups and was awarded The A S T I Achievements Award for his contribution to literature at home and abroad His work has been translated into Italian French German Russian and Romanian His poetry was prescribed text for the Leaving Certificate English Course 2011 and 2012 Noel Monahan has read his work and given Workshops throughout Ireland and in England Italy France and the United States His ninth collection of poetry will be published by Salmon Poetry in 2023 Noel Monahan holds an M A in Creative Writing Sin ad Hussey Sin ad Hussey RT journalist as Midlands Correspondent and previously held the position of North East Correspondent Sin ad Hussey has worked as a multimedia journalist in RT since 2011 reporting across television radio and online news including RT s Six One News Nine O Clock News and foreign news desk Sin ad holds a BA Economics and Spanish and a Masters in Communications from Maynooth University She began her broadcasting career at her local radio station Shannonside Northern Sound During her time there she worked as a receptionist sports reporter and later a senior news reporter She also spent time working as a news reporter and newsreader in LMFM and INN Sin ad moved to Newstalk in October 2006 spending almost five years working there as a senior news correspondent covering politics and crime Sin ad Hussey is a native of Longford town and currently lives in Mullingar Co Westmeath Conference Registration
Our Sponsors We want to say a big THANK YOU for all the support and donations Edgeworthstown Medical Centre Contact details Phone Website Email 353 43 667 1801 www mariaedgeworthcentre com festival mariaedgeworthcentre com Edgeworthstown is just over an hour from Dublin on the N4 and is well served by bus and train Book here Book here Book here
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