One of the country’s best known and most loved authors, Maeve Binchy, has died after a short illness.
The 72 year old, who was best known for her novels Circle of Friends and Light a Penny Candle passed away at a Dublin hospital yesterday evening.
Maeve Binchy was perhaps Ireland’s best-loved writer.
She was born in Dublin in 1940, the eldest of four children.
She was educated at UCD – after graduation she worked as a teacher, and later as a columnist and journalist at the Irish Times.
Maeve Binchy published her first novel, Light a Penny Candle in 1982. It was an international best-seller and made her a household name in Ireland.
In the intervening years she published 15 novels. One of them, Circle of Friends, was made into a Hollywood movie starring Minnie Driver and Chris O’Donnell.
Her last novel, Minding Frankie, was published in 2010.
Maeve Binchy will be remembered for her prolific work as a novelist, as well as for her charm and her quick wit.
She is survived by her husband, children’s author Gordon Snell.
