Armagh Robinson Library hosts Gulliver's Travels lecture

Armagh Robinson Library will host a special lecture next week examining the friendships and events surrounding the publication of Jonathan Swift's famous novel Gulliver's Travels.

The talk, titled 'Gulliver Amongst Friends', will be delivered by writer and eighteenth-century specialist Hester Grant on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 7.30pm.

The lecture forms part of events marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Gulliver's Travels. It will focus on the summer of 1726, when Swift travelled from Dublin to London with the manuscript of the novel and spent time with close friends and fellow writers Alexander Pope and John Gay.

Grant, whose latest book The Twitnam Summer was published earlier this year to coincide with the anniversary, said the lecture will explore how the reunion influenced all three writers.

"I will explain how the intensity of the reunion of the three writers, and stimulation provided by the long-absent Swift, marked a turning point in the careers of Pope and Gay, while Gulliver's Travels received its final amendments," she said.

"Threaded through this narrative is an account of the writing of Swift's masterpiece, and the story of its secret publication, necessary on account of its explosive satire."

Keeper of Armagh Robinson Library, the Very Revd Shane Forster, said the event had particular significance given the library's holdings.

"The first edition of Gulliver's Travels, with Jonathan Swift's hand-written annotated notes, is definitely one of the most famous items in our collection at Armagh Robinson Library," he said.

"In this significant year for the book, we are delighted that Hester Grant will be delivering this lecture for us, opening the door to the relationships, context and events around the eighteenth-century publication of this very significant piece of literature."

Admission details are available from Armagh Robinson Library.