A Girl's Writing Is Never Done (c) Shauna Gilligan 2026
I’m delighted to have a poem “1922” included in Washing Windows Too: Irish Women Write Poetry (Eds: Nuala O’ Connor and Alan Hayes), a new anthology featuring 100 Irish women poets who have not published a full poetry collection.
Congratulations to all the contributors! And thank you to Nuala and Alan for including my poem.
Pre-order your advance copy from the wonderful Books Upstairs until 14 March after which the book will be available to bookshops island-wide.
I’m delighted to discuss Mantles: Encountering Brigid with Meath Libraries Executive Librarian Mary Murphy as part of Meath Libraries and Meath County Council St Brigid’s Day Celebrations. See YouTube below to watch our discussion which will premiere on Feb 1st 2022 at 6pm.
On the evening of February 1st, I will be talking about my research on Brigid, and Creative Ireland (Kildare County Council) funded project Mantles, to members of ATGI Tour Guides of Ireland.
Many thanks to Meath County Council and ATGI for the invitations!
As part of my celebrations of Imbolc, Brigit and St Brigid, I will also be attending events and exhibitions and furthering my reading:
Wishing everyone a much healing, health, and heart this St Brigid’s Day and Imbolc.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the process of responding to the art and reading the resulting writing in the Imagining History Exhibition Pamphlet. The exhibition was held in Oriel y Bont, University of South Wales, from 1 November to 17 December 2021.
In the words of Barrie Llewelyn (editor of the pamphlet), “the exhibition, pamphlet and conference focussed on the complex relationship between fiction and fact” and drew attention to the “partial, fragmentary or even distorted nature of the narratives which often shape our national histories.”
For me, the themes of landscape and memory appealed, especially in the work of John Elwyn. In my short piece, “Mama Daly” I hoped to imagine the life of a woman looking at – and also longing for – what lies in and beyond her immediate town-and-land-scapes. With thanks to Barrie for including my flash fiction piece in the publication and exhibition.
The exhibition included work by Susan Adams, Iwan Bala, Judith Beecher, Elizabeth Bridge, Jack Crabtree, Morag Colquhoun, Ivor Davies, Ken Elias, Geraint Evans, Tom Goddard, Clive Hicks-Jenkins, Rachel Jones, Naomi Leake, Kate Milsom, Radha Patel, Paul Reas, André Stitt, Daniel Trevidy, Dawn Woolley and others.
The pamphlet included writing by Tony Curtis, Frank Dullaghan, Kate Noakes, Maria Donovan, Judith Goldsmith, Derwen Morfayel, Christopher Meredith and many others, including myself.
Read more about the University of South Wales gallery, exhibition, conference and pamphlet here.
Shauna Gilligan Writer 