Frances Browne Literary Festival

15/08/2026

With just a few days to go before the deadline, we're sharing some final poetry prompts. If you haven't got a poem ready to enter, perhaps this will spark your imagination.

Be sure to submit your entries before midnight on Wednesday 19 August.

All the details are on our website.

13/08/2026

The summer is almost gone. The deadline is almost here.

If you've been meaning to enter the 2026 Frances Browne Poetry Competition - the time has come. Midnight, Wednesday 19 August is closer than it feels.

We've had poems arrive from across Ireland, from the Finn Valley, and from right across the globe. Every single one goes to our judges, read blind, no names attached. Yours could be among them.

English, Irish or Ulster-Scots — €250 top prize per language, no line limit, enter as many poems as you like. And if you're from the Lifford-Stranorlar area, don't forget the Local category is there for you at no extra fee.

Don't let the deadline pass and wish you'd sent it.

🔗 francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com/poetry-competition

Deadline: midnight, Wednesday 19 August 2026

Creative Ireland Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann Irish Centre for Poetry Studies

13/08/2026

Calling Donegal poets - this one's especially for you. The 2026 Frances Browne Poetry Competition has a Local category specifically for poets from the Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District. If you're from this part of the world, you can enter this local category at no extra fee.

One poem, two chances to place.

Write in English, Irish or Ulster-Scots — or all three if you like. Every language is welcome, every voice is treasured, and every single poem goes to our judges anonymously. No names. Just the poem.

This is your competition. It was started here in the Finn Valley and iit's been running for eighteen years.

€250 top prize per language.
€100 prize in local category per language.
No line limit .
Enter as many poems as you like.

Deadline: midnight, Wednesday 19 August 2026

🔗 francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com/poetry-competition

Finn Valley Voice Donegal County Council Donegal County Library Donegal Democrat / Donegal Live Highland Radio Donegal Daily Donegal News What's on Donegal

10/08/2026

Some fab events coming up for Heritage Week. A visit to Tony's museum is a must for.anyone who loves saying... 'We used to have one of those...'. From farm tools to household items lots of fond memories and stories to tell.

09/08/2026

Just 10 days left to enter our poetry competition. If you don't have a poem ready to enter, this might inspire a winning entry! We'd love to read it.

Find all the competition details and info on our website. We accept entries in English, Irish and Ulster Scots from all over the world.

Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann

05/08/2026

From the Finn Valley to wherever you are - the 2026 Frances Browne Poetry Competition is open, and we welcome writers from across the globe. Particularly those with links to Donegal, to Ireland, and to the languages of the festival - Irish, Ulster-Scots (Scots-Irish) and English.

The Frances Browne Poetry Competition is one of the only competitions in the world that welcomes poems in English, Irish and Ulster-Scots - with equal prizes, equal standing, and judges who read every single entry blind. No names. Just the poem.

So whether you're writing at a kitchen table in Nova Scotia, a desk in Boston, or anywhere else the Finn Valley ever touched - we'd love to read what you've written.

€250 top prize per language · no line limit · enter as many poems as you like

Deadline: midnight, Wednesday 19 August 2026

🔗 francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com/poetry-competition

Donegal County Council Donegal Diaspora Irish Writers Centre Irish Centre for Poetry Studies Irish Abroad

01/08/2026

The Frances Browne Poetry Competition is one of very few competitions anywhere that welcomes poems in English, Irish and Ulster-Scots, as three equal, celebrated languages with equal prizes and equal standing.

If you've ever written in Irish or Ulster-Scots and wondered whether there was a place for it - there is. The Finn Valley holds held all three in our every day.

Head straight to the link below for competition details.

€250 top prize per language · no line limit · enter as many poems as you like · anonymous judging.

Deadline: midnight, Wednesday 19 August 2026

30/07/2026

Making the choice to shop local isn't just supporting the business you make your purchase in.

It supporting the hundreds of raffle prizes, sponsorship, donations etc that our local shops make to charities, fundraisers and good causes year in and year out.

The Frances Browne Literary Festival is just one of those causes in the Twin Towns. We give our thanks to all the businesses who get involved with the Festival every year.😍

And we thank you for choosing local. 👍



Ballybofey & Stranorlar Chamber of Commerce

In a world where we can shop almost anywhere with the click of a button, choosing to shop local has never meant more. ❤️

Every coffee bought and every purchase made with a local business helps support local jobs, local families, and our community.

When you shop local, you're not just making a purchase — you're investing in the people and places that make our town special.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support local businesses. Your support makes a real difference, and it never goes unnoticed.

10/05/2026

The best of luck to our committee member Sinéad Noonan and Twin Towns Donegal County Library who are in London tomorrow, Monday night. at the British Book Awards, hopefully winning the overall Library of the Year with the groundbreaking Frances Browne Storytellers: Seeing Beyond Sight project. 💚

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