By Tristian Whitney

A new anthology celebrating blind and vision-impaired writers from across Ireland has been launched in Stranorlar, Co Donegal, as part of the Frances Browne Literary Festival.

Frances Browne Storytellers: Seeing Beyond Sight was unveiled at Twin Towns Library, Stranorlar during the festival’s fifth year.

The collection brought together poetry, short stories and personal reflections, and was intended to build on the legacy of Frances Browne — Donegal’s “Blind Poetess of Ulster”. Born in Stranorlar in 1816, she became blind in early childhood.

Organisers said the festival aimed to celebrate creativity and inclusion while reflecting the area’s multilingual tradition, with work and events in Irish, English and Ulster-Scots.

Izzy McGuckin, a community project facilitator and children’s author, worked with Donegal County Library Service on the project and edited the anthology. Ms McGuckin is credited in the anthology and festival materials as Isla McGuckin.

She said the project aimed to “amplify” Browne’s voice from all those years ago and amplify the voices of people with blindness and vision impairment.”

Ms McGuckin said Browne’s story resonated as an example of determination and creative ambition in the face of barriers, particularly given the obstacles faced by a rural disabled woman in 19th-century Ireland.

She said she was drawn to Browne’s work as a fellow children’s writer and described the project as an opportunity to make space for contemporary writers whose experiences of storytelling and everyday life are shaped by sight loss.

Maura Meaney, from Shannon, Co Clare, was among the contributors. She said a friend spotted the call-out on Facebook close to the submission deadline, and encouraged her to send something in.

Meaney said taking part gave her and other contributors “an inroad into writing”, and helped people take a step towards sharing their work publicly and getting their name out there. She added that she knew little about Frances Browne before joining the project, but that learning about Browne’s life changed her sense of what was possible.

“If she could do it at that time, when there wasn’t as much consideration for those who were visually impaired… if she could do it, it made me think then; you know what Maura? You can actually do this,” she said.

Meaney said her own childhood experience of growing up in 1970s Ireland was of a segregated society for blind people. She said she was sent away to a school for blind girls in Dublin. Being separated from home and community for education felt traumatic in hindsight, Ms Mearney said.

She said it left reintegration difficult in early adulthood.

“It had always just been school and home,” she said.

Ms Meaney said Irish society had made real progress on disability inclusion but still had further to go to make it a level playing field. This should include the practical details of daily life, education and technology.

The project organisers said accessibility was central to how the anthology was produced.

The collection, published in large print, is available digitally for use with screen readers, and — with support from Vision Ireland — a Braille edition is also available through Donegal County Library Service.

Ms Meaney said the festival itself was one example of the direction Ireland could take. Honouring Browne’s legacy, the celebration created a platform for modern blind and vision-impaired writers.

“No matter what you’re into, no matter if you’re blind, vision impaired… if you have a dream, if you have a goal, go for it,” she said.

Copies of Frances Browne Storytellers: Seeing Beyond Sightare available to borrow from Donegal County Library Service, with a digital edition also accessible online through Donegal County Council’s website.

caption: From left, Sinead Noonan,head librarian, Maura Meaney, poet, Izzy (Isla) McGuckin, editor