The Arts Council has expressed its regret at the passing of writer Maeve Binchy.
Speaking today, Pat Moylan, Chairman of the Arts Council said, "Maeve Binchy was a storyteller of rare gifts and her work reached, and will continue to reach, an extraordinarily wide audience, both in Ireland and abroad. Her work was pioneering in its treatment of female subjects and her prose, while always intensely readable, tackled profound questions about Irish life and culture, past and present. A constant and generous supporter of new literary talent, her influence on future generations of Irish writers cannot be underestimated. Our sympathies are with her husband Gordon Snell."