thumbnail image
Frances Browne Literary Festival Logo

The Frances Browne Literary Festival

    • 2022 Frances Browne Festival
    • About Frances Browne
    • Poetry Competition
    • Past Festivals
    • …  
      • 2022 Frances Browne Festival
      • About Frances Browne
      • Poetry Competition
      • Past Festivals
    Frances Browne Literary Festival Logo

    The Frances Browne Literary Festival

      • 2022 Frances Browne Festival
      • About Frances Browne
      • Poetry Competition
      • Past Festivals
      • …  
        • 2022 Frances Browne Festival
        • About Frances Browne
        • Poetry Competition
        • Past Festivals
      Frances Browne Literary Festival Logo
      • Treasure Each Voice

        Celebrating the life and literary legacy of Frances Browne

        The Blind Poetess of Ulster

        Ballybofey-Stranorlar

        Co. Donegal, Ireland

        2022 Festival Rescheduled : 11th and 12th November

      • 2022 FESTIVAL - New Dates Announced

        The 2022 Frances Browne Literary Festival has been rescheduled to Friday 11th and Saturday 12th November. Full programme details below.

         

        The 2022 Frances Browne Literary Festival was postponed due to the tragic events

        in Creeslough, Co. Donegal in October. A proportion of the proceeds from our November event

        will be donated to the Creeslough Community Support Fund.

        About the Frances Browne Literary Festival

        Frances Browne, the Blind Poetess of Ulster, is the most important writer ever to emerge from Donegal's Finn Valley, in the North West of Ireland.

         

        The Finn Valley area is Ireland's most important district in linguistic terms. All three of Ireland's traditional languages, Irish, English, and Ulster-Scots are widely spoken in the Finn Valley. This situation is unique in Ireland.

        Frances Browne's most famous poem, "Songs of our land," is a reflection on language, and how the soul of a nation is encapsulated in its literary outputs. She wrote prolifically in all formats. She was as much at home with an essay, an article, or a novel as she was with her great fortes, poetry and childrens' writing. Her masterpiece, the children’s storybook "Granny's Wonderful Chair" was a bestseller all over the world, but she also deserves to be remembered for her unswerving opposition to slavery and all sorts of injustice.

         

        The Annual Frances Browne Literary Festival celebrates the legacy and spirit of Frances Browne. We work to bring not only Frances's writing and astonishing life story to new generations but to celebrate the works of contemporary and modern writers who continue in her tradition.

      • 2022 Festival Programme 

        While not as extensive as the previous programme, we are delighted to bring together old friends and new for a wonderful series of events.

      • Frances for Children

        Although Frances wrote widely about all kinds of topics, in all kinds of media, her enduring legacy to date has been her writing for children.

         

        Granny's Wonderful Chair is her best known work and was a worldwide best seller. Every year we celebrate this aspect of Frances by including events dedicated to the younger generation in our programme.

         

        2022 Festival Events for Children

        POSTPONED

         

         

        2022 Primary School Art Competition sponsored by the Frances Browne Literary Festival & Lottie Dolls

        Enter by Wednesday 12 October

        We are inviting children to draw, paint, or sketch a picture of what they think the following characters from Granny’s Wonderful Chair might look like!

         

        To do this, you might need to find out a little bit more about the characters by finding them in Granny’s Wonderful Chair, which you can read online here

         

        Find details of our competition classes and ways to enter here.

        Frances Browne and Lottie Dolls

        We are delighted to partner with Lottie Dolls on a special project to bring Frances to life for children globally.

         

        In 2021 we began a partnership with Lottie Dolls to bring Frances back to global recognition through their ambitious and successful vision to ensure children and childhood are represented in the toys they play with.

        About Lottie Dolls

        Based in Donegal, on the North-West coast of Ireland, Team Lottie is made up of people – three quarters of whom are women - who are passionate about preserving the magic of childhood.

         

        Find out more about Lottie Dolls here

      • Festival News

        Updates on what's happening in the run up to our Festival Launch

        New dates announced for postponed Frances Browne Literary Festival 
        November 8, 2022
        Launching the 2022 Frances Browne Literary Festival Programme
        September 11, 2022 · programme,launch
        2022 Frances Browne Poetry Competition Shortlists announced
        August 24, 2022
        More Posts
      • Stay in touch

        Sign up to receive more information about the
        Frances Browne Literary Festival

        Get newsletter
      • Committee and Funders

        Contact us here: info@francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com

        Chairperson: Celine McGlynn

        Celine McGlynn

        Chairperson

        Finn Valley Voice Logo

        Finn Valley Voice

        Donegal County Council Logo

        Donegal County Council

        Balor Arts Centre Logo

        Creative
        Ireland

        Balor Arts Centre Logo

        The Arts Council of Ireland

        Balor Arts Centre Logo

        Ulster Scots Agency

      • Partners and Sponsors

        Thank you to all our festival and event partners without whom the festival would not be possible. And to our sponsors who contribute to our festival so generously.

        Donegal County Council Logo

        Donegal Bay and Bluestacks Festival

        Donegal County Council Logo

        Balor Arts Centre

        Finn Valley Voice Logo

        Kee's Hotel and Leisure Centre

        Donegal County Council Logo

        Fidget Feet

        Donegal County Council Logo

        Aishlingí Academy

        Donegal County Council Logo

        Karen Murphy- School of Speech and Drama

      Frances Browne Literary Festival Committee © 2021

      Create a site with
      This website is built with Strikingly.
      Create yours today!

      This website is built with Strikingly.

      Create your FREE website today!

      Create a site with
      This website is built with Strikingly.
      Create yours today!

      This website is built with Strikingly.

      Create your FREE website today!

        All Posts
        ×
        Cookie Use
        We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
        Learn More