Land, Language & Life | Featuring Writer Anne Donegan
We are delighted to introduce Anne Donegan as the second participant in our Kerry Writers’ Museum blog series.
A poet, playwright, and storyteller, Anne’s work is deeply rooted in land, language, and life, drawing inspiration from both her native Limerick and her adopted home of North Kerry.
Her debut poetry collection, Seashells, captures the beauty of the Irish landscape, personal reflections, and the ever-present inspiration of Ballybunion’s shores.
Anne’s play, The Long Goodbye, based on her poem Before the Goodbye Began, offers a poignant and heartfelt exploration of dementia’s impact on family life, blending moments of humour, sorrow, and love.
Join us as we step into Anne’s world, where the power of words brings landscapes to life and stories unfold with warmth and authenticity.
Land, Language and Life by Anne Donegan
“Life is like a landscape, you live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance” Charles Lindberg.
Land, Language and Life go hand in hand as Anne Donegan Lynch well knows.
Anne is a writer of poetry, drama and communication and is retired with her husband Mike, a native, in the lovely town of Listowel.
Writer Anne Donegan
“Seashells” is Anne’s debut book of poetry and draws from life’s experiences in her native Co. Limerick and her adopted home of North Kerry. It can be bought on Buythebook.ie, and locally in Easons, Kerry Writers’ Museum and Woulfe’s Book Shop in Listowel. Anne can be contacted at, sayitcommunications3@gmail.com
“Seashells” is Anne’s debut book of poetry and is available to purchase in Kerry Writers’ Museum
Her collection is rich in both familiar and imagined imagery. Poems such as, Where I come from, Before the goodbye Began and Where Answers Lay are inspired by land, language and life. This collection rings with the chimes of Irish Country side whose beauty is constant and with beautiful Ballybunnion beach near-by it is a source of solace and poetic inspiration for her writing.
Her play, The Long Goodbye was inspired by the poem, Before the Goodbye Began, depicting the person, the gardener before Dementia took hold. It deals with the communication that takes place within a family where a member is developing the disease. It is sad, romantic, fun and tormenting. It demonstrates how various characters in the family react and respond to the change that is taking place before them.
Rural Ireland is the setting for this play and because of this the language is rich and earthy.
There is no doubt we are truly blessed in Ireland with magnificent landscape but it is remarkable and inspirational particularly in North Kerry. One needs to visit it to believe there is such diversity.
It is rich in Culture and Heritage. Ancient sites, churches and monuments. A gem with golden beaches, renowned links and golf courses, literary festivals and more.
Bound by the Atlantic Ocean it’s rugged coastline, cliffs, beaches and many offshore islands that have spectacular views.
It is dotted with small and cozy villages and traditional pubs where a warm welcome awaits you.
Join the banter, play a tune and chat with with the locals.
One can see from this array of experiences how our writers have been influenced through the years especially Anne.
Listowel is a market town in the heart of North Kerry where the beautiful Feale meanders through. It is the Literary Capital of Ireland and has Internationally know writers such as John B Keane, Bryan Mac Mahon, Brendan Kennelly, Seamus Wilmot, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, George Fitzmaurice, Maurice Walsh and Robert Leslie Boland.