The West of Ireland has been associated with and the inspiration for many great writers down through the years and decades. In our opinion, the best ever female Irish writer was Emily Lawless (1845-1913), from Castlehackett House in Caherlistrane. She wrote 19 books, and her parents were Edward Lawless and Elizabeth Kirwan. The first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, wrote frequently about the Kirwan's of Castlehackett and visited Caherlistrane in the early 1900s. Emily Lawless was a great friend of William Butler Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory, who both used to write about Knockma and the Kirwan's, and Emily used to visit them in Coole Park in Gort. Oscar Wilde's father, Sir William Wilde, once said that the scenic beauty of Cong in Coun¬ty Mayo and Lough Corrib stretched all the way over to Knockma Hill. J.M. Synge, who was familiar with the Aran Islands, knew Emily Lawless and read her work. James Joyce was married to Galway city woman Nora Barnacle and visited Galway in 1912 and Patrick Kavanagh's girlfriend one time was Deirdre Courtney from Barnaderg.
