Powerful Irish Women: Lady Gregory

Lady Gregory was very interested in the people of Galway and the Aran Islands – read our Aran Islands travel guide here.. She travelled around Co. Galway and to the Aran Islands to learn about and document local people’s stories and published numerous books focused on the area, including The Kiltartan Wonder Book (1910).

She also appreciated Irish folklore, eventually publishing Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland (1920) on the subject. Along with her stories, Lady Gregory also wrote terrific poetry – the Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation showcases a beautiful narration of Lady Gregory’s “The Heart of the Wood” poem (read by Doireann ní Ghríofa) here.

Lady Gregory was great friends with several fellow Irish writers and played a vital role in the Irish Literary Revival. She encouraged and supported other authors and did her best to champion their work.

She invited her contemporaries to her family’s estate at Coole Park on numerous occasions, which was a source of inspiration and joy for many emerging Irish writers, including William Butler Yeats, Seán O’Casey, George Bernard Shaw and J.M. Synge.

The famous poet Yeats actually penned five poems about Coole Park, including The Wild Swans of Coole and In the Seven Woods. Several authors (including Lady Gregory) inscribed their names in what is known as the Autograph Tree, a beautiful copper beech tree which still stands on the grounds.

Love stories and the Emerald Isle? Read more about stories inspired by Irish landscapes here.