“Edna O’Brien’s Holy Island Burial Weekend”

The renowned author, Enda O’Brien, will be laid to rest on Holy Island, situated off the Co Clare coast of Lough Derg, this coming weekend. This is in line with her last wishes. Hailing from Tuamgraney close to Scariff in Co Clare, Ms. O’Brien passed away serenely on July 27th, 2024, at Halkin Place’s Belgravia House in London.

She gained recognition during the 1960s when her trilogy, The Country Girls was brought to the public, despite being subjected to censorship. The majority of her lifetime was spent overseas in London, however, she often visited Co Clare for family holidays. Her remarkable achievements include being elected to Aosdána in 2015, being honoured with the title Saoi, and being appointed as an honorary Dame of the Order of the British Empire in 2018.

Michael Blake, her nephew, divulged last week that Ms. O’Brien desired to be interred on Holy Island, a historical monastic site which is also the resting place of her grandparents. While she undoubtedly loved her homeland, Ms. O’Brien confessed that writing about Ireland was substantially easier from a foreign land like London, explaining the anonymity provided by such cities, Blake shared on the RTÉ programme Drivetime.

The funeral notice on RIP.ie on Tuesday revealed that Ms. O’Brien was survived by her sons Carlo Gebler and Marcus Gebler, daughter-in-law Tyga Gebler, Marcus’s partner Marieme Dieng, her grandchildren India, Jack, Finn, Georgia, Euan and Oscar, great-grandchildren Sam, Noah and Lexi, and her in-laws. The notice indicated that her demise was deeply mourned. It also mentioned that she was predeceased by her brother John, sisters Patricia and Eileen and her spouse, Ernest Gebler.

The body of Ms O’Brien shall be laid to rest at St. Joseph’s Church, Tuamgraney, Co. Clare, on the evening of Friday, August 9th, starting at 5pm and followed by an 8pm prayer service. The burial ceremony will take place at 11am on the following day, Saturday, at Holy Island, after a funeral mass. For those unable to attend, the live broadcast of the funeral will be accessible at https://vimeo.com/event/4492324.

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