Research Project to mark Longford family's place in global history of telecommunications

The Maria Edgeworth Centre in Edgeworthstown, County Longford is set to benefit from the €590,000 Research Project Grant awarded to Dr. Joanna Wharton for her research in telecommunications in the Georgian era. 

The Edgeworth family from Longford played a critical role within the development of telecommunications in the early 19th century, what was the beginning of an international network of telecommunications.

The team at the Maria Edgeworth Centre were delighted to learn that Dr. Joanna Wharton from York University has been awarded the prestigious Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland Pathway Programme award. The award of €590,000 will enable her to delve into the mysteries of a telecommunications network from the Georgian era.

The work of the prominent Irish writer, Maria Edgeworth, is a key focus in Dr Wharton's project. The daughter of the inventor of the telegraph Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Maria Edgeworth not only incorporated the technology into her stories but also contributed to the creation of the telegraph's codebook.

Although the Edgeworth telegraph was only operational for a brief period in Ireland in 1804, it was later adapted for use by the British East India Company in Bengal.

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Dr. Wharton's research will focus on the optical (or semaphore) telegraph, a visual signalling system that was poised to revolutionize long-distance communication for governmental and military purposes. The funding that has been awarded to Dr Wharton following the submission of her research proposal to the Irish Research Council, now allows her to carry out her research in University College Cork for the next three years.

As part of her research, Dr Wharton will create a scaled model of the semaphore system, a system that was used by the Edgeworths. The model will then be exhibited at the Maria Edgeworth Centre. In collaboration with the centre, Ray Jordan and the Jordan family, Dr Wharton served as a historical advisor for two recreations of the semaphore system in 2023 and 2024.

One of the aims of her new research project is to enhance our understanding of the Edgeworth family's involvement in telegraphy, and Longford’s place in the global history of telecommunication. 

Speaking on behalf of the Maria Edgeworth Centre, Matt Farrell said that the centre will benefit greatly from the output of the research by Dr Wharton and that the project will bring "international recognition" to the centre. 

Matt said that since the Maria Edgeworth Centre opened in 2019, it has attracted visitors from all over the world. He added: "There's a renewed interest in the works of Maria Edgeworth and the Edgeworth family and the contribution they made to the social development of Ireland at the time."

Matt shared that the centre will take part in an international conference in Paris in June of next year where an Edgeworth exhibition will be on display. The international conference will involve the Irish Embassy in Paris and Tourism Ireland.