Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\nListen to The Lyric Feature: The Blind Poetess Of Ulster<\/p>\n
“This project is just a collection of stories,” says project facilitator Isla McGuckin. “But only in the way that a library is ‘just’ a collection of books.<\/p>\n
“Both are so much more; there’s change-making sparked by curiosity and kindness; there\u2019s community and creativity. Recognition from the British Book Awards will amplify our writers\u2019 voices far more loudly than we could have ever imagined.”<\/p>\n
Enjoy a trio of selections from Frances Browne Storytellers: Seeing Beyond Sight:<\/p>\n
To you, Frances Browne, by Lisa O’Donovan<\/p>\n
Born in Stranorlar, Donegal, a small rural town<\/p>\n
She was named after her mother, Frances, Frances Browne<\/p>\n
With 11 brothers and sisters, she was the seventh in line<\/p>\n
A big family indeed! As families were at that time<\/p>\n
But Frances was different. She couldn\u2019t learn to read or write<\/p>\n
This was due to small pox, which robbed her of her sight<\/p>\n
However, she was a curious, inquisitive child<\/p>\n
She wanted to learn, her desire for knowledge running wild<\/p>\n
She listened to her siblings\u2019 homework, done after school<\/p>\n
She learned everything by heart, making her memory a tool<\/p>\n
Soon the bartering began, with family, friends and neighbours<\/p>\n
They would read to her in exchange for chores, tasks and favours<\/p>\n
Before long, Frances became the narrator, the composer, the creator<\/p>\n
Her boundless creativity, talent, ambition becoming greater and greater<\/p>\n
From short stories, to novels, to poems – she wrote them all!<\/p>\n
With poverty, geographic isolation, lack of education, female, blind – she found her call!<\/p>\n
More than a hobby or a pastime, her work was popular and published<\/p>\n
She was well-known, the title ‘the blind poetess of Ulster\u2019 established<\/p>\n
She moved from Donegal, to Edinburgh, to London, with her sister at her side<\/p>\n
Her sister, Rebecca, acted as a reader, scribe and guide<\/p>\n
While her reader, scribe and guide changed, her passion for writing did not<\/p>\n
Her countless pieces are still being found, and will never be forgot<\/p>\n
Her work, \u2018Granny\u2019s Wonderful Chair\u2019, is one of the most famous<\/p>\n
Translated and reprinted, Frances has gained literary celebrity status<\/p>\n
She is an inspiration, a visionary, a shining example to people far and near<\/p>\n
With such legacy and spirit, one thing is blatantly clear<\/p>\n
She is deserving of more than a medal, a trophy, an award, or a crown<\/p>\n
So, in awe, we raise a glass, to you, Frances Browne.<\/p>\n
Reflections Unseen, by Margaret Kelly<\/p>\n
As I look into the mirror and wish that I could see<\/p>\n
An unfamiliar face looking back at me<\/p>\n
For I haven\u2019t seen it lately, nor indeed for many years<\/p>\n
So, I smile a timid smile to cover up my fears<\/p>\n
For aging is a process that etches a design<\/p>\n
And tells a life story written line by line<\/p>\n
On turning from the mirror, with nothing there to see<\/p>\n
A myriad of memories come rushing in on me<\/p>\n
Some are luminescent, some foggy and unclear<\/p>\n
Reliving times of happiness, sorrows and of fear<\/p>\n
But the spirit is resilient and it fans the flame of hope<\/p>\n
And in God\u2019s design is written you can surely cope<\/p>\n
Tandem, by Petrina Finn<\/p>\n
I think about my tandem<\/p>\n
sitting still in the shed<\/p>\n
A steal of a purchase<\/p>\n
from a generous stranger<\/p>\n
Hoping to introduce me<\/p>\n
to the sport of cycling<\/p>\n
I think about the adventures<\/p>\n
my co-pilot and I will have<\/p>\n
As we roam through countryside<\/p>\n
Cycling roads less travelled<\/p>\n
To places of childhood memory<\/p>\n
and areas yet to be discovered<\/p>\n
I think about my tandem partner<\/p>\n
The trust I have in them to navigate us<\/p>\n
on our regular cycles together<\/p>\n
Building physical strength<\/p>\n
While calming the mind<\/p>\n
But that is all I do, think\u2026<\/p>\n
about my tandem still sitting in the shed<\/p>\n
![\"N\/A\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00245ac2-614.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Frances Browne Storytellers: Seeing Beyond Sight can be accessed online here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The publication of a creative writing project, Frances Browne Storytellers, has seen Donegal’s Twin Towns library being named…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446488,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-446487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}