Books of condolences opened for the late Edna O’Brien

Clare County Council has opened an online Book of Condolence in memory of the late author Edna O’Brien.

Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan, is inviting members of the public to sign the book and join people from all over Clare and Ireland in marking Edna’s legacy as “a novelist who skilfully centered women’s experiences in her writing, earning her plaudits as a literary genius and one of the most influential figures in Irish literature.”

“We are proud that Edna lived among us and drew on her experiences of growing up in rural East Clare, and that this shaped her perspective and influenced her writing,” added Cllr O’Callaghan.

Read Also: ‘We are all in her debt’: Writers pay tribute to Clare native Edna O’Brien

Books of condolence have also been opened in Ennis and at the Edna O'Brien Library in Scariff, which was renamed in honour of the seminal Irish author in May this year.

Universally hailed as one of Ireland's finest authors, the Tuamgraney native passed away on July 27 in London at the age of 93.

It was her wish was to be buried on Holy Island on Lough Derg, where an ancient monastic settlement is still in use as a burial ground and where her mother was laid to rest, however formal arrangements for the burial are still to be confirmed.

Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling, said: “I invite people to sign the online Book of Condolence and add their names to the many tributes paid to Edna O’Brien by people around the country and all over the world.”

Members of the public are invited to sign the Book of Condolence online, or physically at the office of Clare County Council in Ennis, or at the Edna O'Brien Library in Scariff.

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