There’s no better woman for the job!
Yes, Imelda May is set to host a new documentary which follows the lives of Susan and Elizabeth Yeats.
Titled Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters, the documentary will air on Sky Arts and NOW on March 8, just in time for International Women’s Day.
The film explores the lives of the sisters who were the backbone of the Irish cultural and literary revival of the 1920s and tries to bring their stories out of the shadow of their famous brothers, Jack and WB Yeats.
Speaking out about the documentary Imelda said: “Lily and Lolly were the sisters of well-loved literary genius W.B. Yeats, world-renowned painter Jack Butler Yeats and daughter of celebrated artist John Butler Yeats.
“If known at all, they were most often only referred to as ‘the sisters of…’, even though they were hugely talented in their own right.”
Continuing on, she said: “I came across them in 2017 when working on my 3Arena show wanting to project onstage the names of exceptional people, especially largely forgotten exceptional Irish women, who contributed hugely to our culture in Ireland.”
She also added that she was “curious” as to why she had never heard of them prior to this.
Over the span of four decades, the sisters were responsible for the publishing of over 70 beautiful titles including works by many of the period’s leading Irish authors – W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge and Lady Gregory.
Alongside a friend of theirs, Evelyn Gleeson, they set up the first and only craft guild of its kind, the Dun Emer Guild, which employed only women.
We can’t wait to tune in!
Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters will air this International Women’s Day, Friday 8 March on Sky Arts and NOW.
