ECHOES: Maeve Binchy & Irish Writers Festival 2023

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Echoes celebrates the work of Maeve Binchy and other renowned Irish writers. It takes place at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th October 2023.

Circle of Friends Stage Adaptation

An enchanting tale of first love, fierce loyalty and friendship set in 1950s Ireland. Elaine Murphy’s wonderful adaptation perfectly captures the warmth of Maeve’s trademark compassion and humour.

ECHOES: Maeve Binchy & Irish Writers Festival

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Echoes celebrates the work of Maeve Binchy and other renowned Irish writers. It takes place at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd October 2021.

ECHOES: Maeve Binchy and Irish Writers

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Echoes celebrates the work of Maeve Binchy and other renowned Irish writers. It takes place at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th October 2019.

Celebrate 40 years of fiction from the world’s favourite storytelller

In 2018 look forward to brand new cover styles, reissues of Maeve classics, new introductions from high-profile authors, “Moments of Maeve” – selected audio clips and much more…

From Abortion to Infidelity: how Maeve Binchy chronicled Ireland

Professor Margaret Kelleher, Chair of Anglo-Irish Literature at UCD, writes about Maeve Binchy’s lasting appeal in the Irish Times

The Day of the Rose

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Read the story of the Rosa Gordon Snell, grown by Colin Dickson. “Maeve and I both loved any excuse for a celebration”

Literary Walks from Dalkey Castle

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Learn about the work of famous Irish writers including Maeve Binchy on a guided walking tour through Dalkey heritage town.

Minding Frankie: Stage Play

Maeve Binchy’s Minding Frankie has been adapted for the stage by Shay Linehan. After a short tour in Ireland it is about to open at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.

My favourite Maeve:
This Year It Will Be Different

Patrick Gallagher, Maeve’s Australian publisher for many years, chooses one of the short stories as his favourite.

School library dedicated to Maeve Binchy

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The Holy Child School in Killiney dedicated its newly refurbished library to Maeve. Gordon was delighted to be asked to cut the ribbon and here is what he had to say about it.

ECHOES: Maeve Binchy and Irish Writers

Join us for thought provoking talks, walks, debates, interviews & theatrical events at Dalkey Castle from the 5th to 7th October 2018.

Message from Gordon

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Gordon Snell, Maeve’s husband, recalls her love of storytelling and her capacity for friendship.

My favourite Maeve:
Light a Penny Candle

Christine Green, Maeve Binchy’s agent, explains why her favourite is the first novel.

‘Getting it Right’ FREE short story

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‘Irene had loved Jim for seventeen months before he said that he loved her.
“You do?” she said in delight.’
Download a free short story.

Film, TV and radio adaptations

Maeve Binchy’s novels and short stories have been adapted for film. TV and radio, including Echoes, The Lilac Bus, Tara Road and Circle of Friends.

My favourite Maeve:
Minding Frankie

Juliet Ewers, Director of Orion Fiction, explains why this is her favourite Maeve Binchy novel.

Maeve Binchy tells her Veal Casserole Story

Maeve Binchy recalls a story from her past when she worked in the Irish Times. This story is featured in Maeve’s Times.

Maeve’s advice to writers

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‘The most important thing to realise is that everyone is capable of telling a story. It doesn’t matter where we were born or how we grew up’ Maeve Binchy

My favourite Maeve:
Evening Class

Maeve Binchy’s cousin Kate, who is the reader on most of her audiobooks, explains why this is her favourite.

My favourite Maeve Binchy:
Circle of Friends

Carole Baron, Maeve Binchy’s publisher in the USA, explains why this is her favourite novel.

Q&A

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This questions and answers section is compiled from interviews with Maeve Binchy during her writing life.

Can you describe an ordinary day?

My husband Gordon Snell and I get up at about 7 am in our little house 15 kilometres from Dublin. We have a big study up a spiral staircase in a lovely bright room and we try to be at our desks before 8.30am. We are both writers so we have plenty to do including […]

How do two writers cohabit in one home?

Two writers co habit very well in our home but that is mainly because Gordon is a very kind and unselfish man, everyone who knows him says that this is true. We work in a lovely sunny office, sitting side by side at a big long desk and we read each other stuff at the […]

Who has supported you in your life and career at the most?

I was much supported by my parents who believed I could do anything, run the world if I needed to. Then I had a great kind boss at the Irish Times who thought I could do anything and sent me to write about wars and economics and the Royal Family and gave me a great […]

What was your favourite book as a child?

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Undoubtedly it was Winnie the Pooh. My parents would read it to me endlessly. I loved Kanga and Eeyore and thought of them as my friends. I used to ask where was I in the Hundred Acre Wood and my parents indulged me by saying I was on a tree or on a gate, then […]

When you were growing up did you have books in your home?

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Yes, books were everywhere. Floor to ceiling were shelves of books. My father went to work by train every day. It was half an hour’s journey each way and he would read a paperback in four journeys. After supper we all sat down to read – it was long before TV, remember! Because I saw […]

Have you ever lived anywhere else but Dalkey? If so, where? And if not, why not?

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I came to Dalkey when I was a child and lived here until after my father died in 1972, I lived in a flat in Ballsbridge for a year and there were mice in it so a colleague had to come and empty my mousetrap every night before I could go home from work. Then […]

Rumour has it you had a childhood crush on Marlon Brando – is that true?

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Oh no, it wasn’t a crush, I loved him when I was fifteen and a half until I was seventeen. I spent all my pocket money on airmail stamps to write to him and ask him to come to Ireland where I would sooth him and look after him. But he never listened. Which was […]

You’ve said that you were desperate to be famous – why and for what?

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When I was at school I thought I was going to be forever belted into a green tunic, bad at games, hopeless at gym, restless and anxious that I shouldn’t pass by unnoticed. I think I was just a vain show off really. Anything would have done. I once thought about tap dancing, or mountaineering, […]