Closing Party: Edna O’Brien and The Good Subversion of Literature

Come celebrate with new friends as we wrap up a weekend of Irish art and literature with a special evening dedicated to Edna O’Brien, hosted by Frances McCue and Jerry Cotter.

Edna O'Brien (1930 – 2024) was an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. O'Brien's works often revolved around the inner feelings of women and their problems relating to men and society as a whole. Her first novel, The Country Girls (1960), has been credited with breaking the silence on sexual matters and social issues during a repressive period in Ireland after the Second World War. The book was banned and denounced from the pulpit.

O’Briens’ archive offers a significant collection of manuscripts, drafts and personal correspondence that provides invaluable insights into her creative process now resides at the National Library of Ireland. Reflecting on the acquisition, Edna O’Brien said: “I am thrilled and honoured that the National Library has acquired…