• ABOUT

    Mary Branley is a poet, writer and musician based in north Sligo. She is the author of three collections of poetry: A Pinch of Snow in a Black Velvet Glove Lepus Print 2021 Martin, Let Me Go 2009, A Foot on the Tide, 2002 with Summer Palace Press. Her poetry has been included in such anthologies as Windharp: Poems of Ireland…

  • Kids Own

    Mary Branley has been a writer and facilitator with Kids’ Own since 2001. Most recently working with Kids’ Own Young Writers group on our book project Buoyant; An anthology of new voices from Donegal and Derry/Londonderry.  Other book projects include the 100-year history project (2015), The Transition Project (2014), supporting young children in the transition to primary school and Through the Eyes of…

  • Siarscéal

    https://siarscealfestival.com We’re proud to celebrate the incredible creativity of young people by bringingtheir voices into public spaces. If you’re aged 13 to 18 and passionate aboutwriting—whether it’s poetry, fiction, spoken word, or any other genre—Siarscealoffers you the chance to take part in exciting, free workshops this summer. Starting in June, libraries across Roscommon and Sligo will…

  • Hosahu

    You may be wondering who the Hosahu are?  Collatra from Quan Yin Oria from the Pleiades Kothumi from the Ancient Father Circle Archangels Michael, Metatron, Balthazar, Elish, Eliza and Ishmael.  And me as a scribe, translator and poet.  The Banquets is a series of meditations I channelled over a 40-month period fromMarch 2002 to July 2005….

  • Poetry

    A Pinch of Snow in a Black Velvet Glove €15.00 Infused with powerful lyricism, honesty and attentiveness, Mary Branley’s, A Pinch of Snow in a Black Velvet Glove, journeys through wide-ranging terrain without ever losing sight of that most central of precincts: the human heart. https://www.poetryascommemoration.ie/poems/a-pinch-of-snow-in-a-black-velvet-glove-by-mary-branley

Mary Branley is a writer, poet and musician whose work often moves between literature, music and performance. She was commissioned to write a libretto on the life of Constance Markievicz by Ukrainian composer Olesya Zdorovetska. The work was performed at The Model, Sligo as part of Cairde Sligo Arts Festival 2023 in the programme Freedom Letters.

Since 2021 Mary has collaborated with GreenBirdFlying, developing a unique fusion of poetry and music which has been performed at a range of events and venues. A new CD of this collaborative work is forthcoming.

Mary is also the founder and director of the Siarscéal Festival, an annual celebration of storytelling, poetry and spoken word that brings together writers, musicians and audiences to share and explore the richness of narrative traditions in Ireland. The festival reflects her deep commitment to community, creativity and the living tradition of oral storytelling.

Alongside her own creative practice Mary works with Kids Own. As an associate artist with Kids’ Own she facilitates workshops that support children and young people to explore creativity through writing, storytelling and visual arts, helping them to find and express their own voices.

Across her work as a writer, musician, facilitator and festival director, Mary’s practice centres on the power of story, language and collaboration, creating spaces where creativity, imagination and community can flourish.