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heritage · Monday 13 July 2026 · 7:30pm 
The Extraordinary Life of Abbé Edgeworth Exhibition
At Edgeworthstown Library · Main Street, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford
At Edgeworthstown Library · Main Street, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford
A new exhibition on one of Edgeworthstown’s most remarkable historical figures opens in Edgeworthstown Library on Monday 13 July 2026 at 7.30pm. “The Extraordinary Life of Abbé Edgeworth” tells the story of Abbé Henry Essex Edgeworth, born in Edgeworthstown in 1745 and a relative of the novelist Maria Edgeworth, whose life took him from rural Longford to the court of France. The Ambassador of Latvia opens the exhibition, reflecting the story’s unexpected reach into three countries.
The exhibition traces how Henry Essex Edgeworth’s family left Ireland for France, where he was ordained a priest in 1769 and went on to become confessor to King Louis XVI and to the King’s sister, Madame Elizabeth. He is best remembered for standing beside Louis XVI at the scaffold during the French Revolution, a moment that made his name across Europe. The wider Edgeworth family history the exhibition explores also draws in the Latvian connection referenced by the opening. It is organised by Longford County Library and Archives Service in association with the Maria Edgeworth Centre, and runs during normal opening hours in Edgeworthstown Library until 14 August 2026. After that, the panels are set to travel to other libraries around County Longford before being made available on loan to interested institutions elsewhere.
Edgeworthstown’s connection to the Edgeworth family runs deep, from the Maria Edgeworth Centre to the family’s former estate, and this exhibition adds another layer to that story. There is more to see in Edgeworthstown and across Co. Longford.
Heading to Edgeworthstown Library in Edgeworthstown? Longford has plenty more to see. Read the Edgeworthstown area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.