Stranorlar native wins prestigious award in Frances Browne Literary Festival

Stranorlar’s Shirley Anne Godfrey was announced as the winner of the 2025 Frances Browne Award on the first evening of this year’s Frances Browne Literary Festival held in Ballybofey.

Godfrey was described as having made an “extraordinary contribution to Browne’s legacy, and to the Frances Browne Literary Festival itself,” where she was described as a “driving force behind its vision and success.”

The Frances Browne Literary Festival, which runs from October 9-12, celebrates Frances Browne, a 19th-century blind poetess and is viewed as the most important writer to have emerged from Donegal’s Finn Valley. 

An online statement by the Frances Browne Literary Festival congratulated Godfrey on her award.

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The statement said: “Through her PhD research, her thoughtful adaptations of Frances’s stories for stage and children’s events, and her original play Frances Browne: In My Mind’s Eye, Shirley Anne has brought Browne’s world vividly to life.

“First produced in 2016 to mark the bicentenary of Browne’s birth, In My Mind’s Eye - written and directed by Shirley-Anne - traced the poet’s journey from Stranorlar to Edinburgh and London, exploring her relationships with her sister and scribe Rebekah and her friend Eliza Hickman. Beautiful, moving, and thought-provoking, the play celebrated Browne’s resilience and imagination - themes that continue to inspire today.

“Through her scholarship, creativity, and unwavering dedication, Shirley Anne Godfrey has deepened our understanding of Frances Browne’s life and writings, and helped to ensure that the “Blind Poetess of Ulster” continues to inspire new generations of readers and writers.

“Congratulations, Shirley Anne - and thank you for keeping Frances’s flame burning bright.”