Clodagh Finn: An invite to rediscover the female writers of Kerry

Strap in for a rapid-fire tour of an exhibition that casts off the wilful forgetfulness of centuries

Aidan O'Leary's artwork is inspired by the work of Tralee-born writer Anne Margaret Rowan (1832-1913).

 It is not as if the creative powerhouse that was Siobhán Ní Shúilleabháin was unappreciated in her day. No less a figure than playwright John B Keane once referred to her as “the best dramatist writing in Ireland”, and she won a slew of awards for her work as a short story writer, novelist, scriptwriter and playwright.

She was also an Olympian; her radio drama Arís featured in the literature category at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. (Here’s a fascinating aside: seven of the 19 participants in that one-time Olympian field were Irish, but that’s a rabbit hole for another day).