Stair na hÉireann | History of Ireland

Irish History, Culture, Heritage, Language, Mythology

#OTD in 1940 – Birth of Maeve Binchy, an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker best known for her humorous take on small-town life in Ireland, her descriptive characters, her interest in human nature and her often clever surprise endings.

Stair na hÉireannHistory, Ireland, Irish Arts, Irish HistoryColumnist, Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland, Maeve Binchy, Novelist, playwright, Short story writer, Speaker

Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, and her death, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the passing of Ireland’s best-loved and most recognisable writer.

In September 2012, a new garden behind the Dalkey Library in Dublin was dedicated in memory of Binchy.

In 2014 the University of Dublin announced the first annual Maeve Binchy Travel Award. The €4000 award will help student winners ‘pursue a novel travel trip to enhance their writing skills’.