Beloved author Maeve Binchy dies

The best-selling author died peacefully in hospital yesterday with her husband, children's writer Gordon Snell, by her side. Binchy penned 16 novels and sold more than 40 million books worldwide during her career. Born in Dalkey, Co Dublin, Binchy studied at University College Dublin before starting her career as a teacher. She went on to become a journalist at the Irish Times. She moved to England, where she became London editor with the paper and met her husband. The couple continued to live in Dalkey, a few hundred yards from the house where she grew up with her parents. Binchey's popular early collections of humorous short stories were based in London and Dublin but her first novel, Light A Penny Candle, became a best-seller when published in 1982 and the author, who was considered a true Irish storyteller, made Britain's top 10 most popular writers and the New York Times' Best-seller List. While Binchy announced her retirement in 2000, she continued writing. Her last novel, Minding Frankie, was published in 2010 - the same year she received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Book Awards. In a personal message on her website when Minding Frankie was released in the US, she thanked fans who said they had enjoyed it. "My health isn't so good these days and I can't travel around to meet people the way I used to. But I'm always delighted to hear from readers, even if it takes me a while to reply," she wrote. Irish President Michael D Higgins, said he was deeply saddened by Binchy's death. "She was an outstanding novelist, short story writer and columnist, who engaged millions of people all around the world with her fluent and accessible style," he said. "She was a great storyteller and we enjoyed her capacity to engage, entertain and surprise us. "For others, particularly young and aspiring writers, she was not only a source of great encouragement, but also, to so many, of practical assistance. "In recent years she showed great courage and thankfully never lost her self-deprecating humour, honesty and remarkable integrity as an artist and human being."