Queer Georgians: The Ladies of Llangollen

Queer Georgians: The Ladies of Llangollen

Tadhg Sudlow (director/violin) Dr Anthony Delaney (actor/historian) Ellen Bolger (harpsichord) | Xander Baker (cello)
Anthony Delaney (actor/historian), Tadhg Sudlow (director/fiddle), Xander Baker (cello), Ellen Bolger(harpsichord).

Join us for 'the Ladies of Llangollen', as part of a new series exploring queer voices from history.

Eleanor Butler (1739-1824) and Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831) were two upper-class women from Kilkenny who eloped in 1778 to escape their destined fates of marriage or a future in a convent. This is a tale of great love and even some wider acceptance, starting with difficult family pressures in Kilkenny and ending in fifty years of companionship in the Welsh countryside.

The first half of the programme explores their lives in Kilkenny, including their thwarted escape effort where they were recovered from the ruins of an old Abbey not too far from home. Letters between Sarah and a Mrs. Goddard describe her experience growing up with her Aunt and Uncle at Woodstock house in Inistioge, while journals and news prints fill in the gaps and give context for Eleanor’s upbringing in Cambrai, France, at Garryicken, then Kilkenny Castle as the Butlers were reunited with the land that had been lost and fallen into ruin over previous generations.

Dr. Anthony Delaney, author of Queer Georgians: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers and Homemakers, doctorate of history, and trained actor/singer, will narrate the concert. The music is the feature, supporting the development of the narrative and drawing the listener into the sound world Eleanor and Sarah were familiar with in Kilkenny.

Join us for an evening where the remarkable story of these two women is heard once again.