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).

Sat, 31 May, 2025 - 01:00

Clodagh Finn is a journalist, writer and collector of stories. Her recent book, The Irish in the Resistance, co-authored with John Morgan, shines a light on the forgotten contributions of the Irish who resisted Hitler during WW2.

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).