The Annual Frances Browne Lecture: presented by Dr. Shirley Anne Godfrey
FREE Event - booking not required
The evening will also feature pieces newly inspired by Frances Browne, created in workshops "Echoes of Frances Browne" led by Rhona Trench.
About
Shirley-Anne's lecture will share some of her findings from her recent PhD thesis which included major sections on Frances Browne. At this accessible lecture she will briefly sketch Frances Browne’s life, the remarkable range of genres in which she wrote and her enduring cultural significance.
In discussing Granny’s Wonderful Chair, Shirley-Anne will guide the audience through these charming tales, pointing to possible readings which may be more radical and subversive than we might expect from a female Victorian children’s writer.
Finally, by tracing the growing trajectory of what she hopes one day will be called Browne Studies, Shirley-Anne hopes to demonstrate why Frances Browne deserves to be more widely acknowledged as a significant foremother in the history of Irish women’s writing.
When & Where
Date: Saturday 11th October 2025
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Kee's Hotel Stranorlar
About the Participants
Dr. Shirley Anne Godfrey
Bio coming...
Acknowledgements
Festival sponsors: Donegal County Council, Finn Valley Voice,
About the Frances Browne Literary Festival
The Frances Browne Literary Festival celebrates the life and legacy of Frances Browne (1816–1879), the “Blind Poetess of Ulster.” Rooted in her hometown of Ballybofey-Stranorlar, Co. Donegal, the festival brings together poets, writers, musicians, and communities from Ireland and beyond to share in her spirit of creativity, inclusion, and multilingual expression.
