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Frances Browne was born in Stranorlar in 1816.
She was the seventh of twelve children born to the town's postmaster.
At the age of eighteen months Frances contracted smallpox and lost her sight. She educated
herself by having her siblings read to her and by the age of seven she was composing poems.
Frances Browne was greatly influenced by the poetry of Lord Byron and in 1840 she began publishing verse in *Athenaeum* (later the *Irish Penny Journal*) then under the editorship of T.K. Hervey. The publication of Frances' first volume of poetry *The Star of Atteghei* (1844) resulted in her receiving a pension of 20 pounds a year awarded to her by Sir Robert Peel and she became popularily known as 'the Blind Poetess of Donegal'. In 1847 Frances emigrated to Edinburgh where she contributed to various popular Victorian journals including *Frazer's*, *Chambers* and *Tait's*. In 1848 Frances published her second volume of poems entitled *Lyrics and Miscellaneous Poems*. In 1852 Frances became the beneficiary of the Marquis of Landsdowne who gave her a 100 pounds which enabled her to move to London where she wrote her best know work for children *Granny's Wonderful Chair* (1857). Frances' first novel *My Share in the World*(1861) is written in the persona of a male journalist. This novel was followed by *The Castleford Case* (1862) and *Hidden Sin* (1866) which Francis published anonymously. Frances Brownes' work is sadly neglected. She wrote many technically fine poems and some are concerned with the Famine in Donegal but the scarcity of her books, now long out of print, make it difficult to fully access her work. © |
Rugadh Frances Browne i
Srath an Urláir sa bhliain 1816. Ba í an seachtú
duine clainne de theaghlach dhá chloigneach déag agus bhí a h-athair ina
mháistir post sa bhaile mhór.
Nuair a bhí Frances ocht mí déag d'aois fuair sí bolgach agus chaill
sí amharc na súile. Fuair sí a cuid oideachas tríd a
deirfiúirí agus a dearthairí agus ag seacht mbliana d'aois bhí
sí abalta dáin a chumadh. Bhí cumhacht mhór ag filíocht Byron ar Frances Browne agus idir na blianta
1830 agus 1840 thosaigh
sí ag foilsiú vearsa i *Athenaeum*
(ina dhiadh sin tugadh an *Irish Penny Journal* air) agus
bhí T.K. Hervey in eagarthoir air ag an ám sin. Nuair a d'fhoilsigh Frances a cead leabhar de dhánta *The Star of Atteghei*, thug an t-Uasal Robert Peel pinsean de 20 punta sa bhliain díthe agus ina dhiadh seo bhí aithne uirthi mar "an Bhanfhile Dall as Dún na nGall". I 1847 chuaigh Frances go hAlbain agus ghlac sí páirt i gcuid mhór iriseoirí cosúil le *Frazer's*, *Chambers* agus *Tait's*. I 1848 d'fhoilsigh Frances a darna cnuasach filíochta darbh ainm *Lyrics and Miscellaneous Poems*. Sa bhliain 1852 rinneadh beinifíse do Fhrances ón Marquis of Landsdowne a thug 100 punta díthe agus cuidigh seo leíthe bogadh go Londáin agus is anseo a scríobh sí a h-obair is fearr do pháistí *Granny's Wonderful Chair* (1857). Scríobhadh an chéad úrscéal a rinne Frances *My Share in the World*(1861) ón t-Iriseoir fireann ab fhearr leí. Ina dhiadh seo bhí *The Castleford Case* (1862) agus *Hidden Sin* (1866) agus scríobh Frances seo gan ainm ar bith. Go brónach ní thugtar aird ar bith ar obair Frances. Scríobh sí go leor dánta breá agus baineann cuid acu leis an ghórta a bhí i nDún na nGall. Tá ganntanas tagtha ar a cuid leabhraí, agus tá na leabhraí seo gan cló le tamall fada, agus ar ndoigh cruthaíonn seo deachtrachtaí do dhaoine ar mhaith leo oibrithe Frances a fheiceáil. © |