Ethna Viney, otherwise known as McManus in her early years, passed away at 95 on April 26, 2024. A highly diversified professional, Viney distinguished herself as a journalist, editor, TV and film producer, and pharmacist. Her journey originated in Glangevlin, a scenic hamlet nestled amongst the Cuilcagh Mountains in west Cavan, where she was born as the eldest of Seamus McManus and Mae Penrose’s five children on January 17, 1929.
The McManus clan relocated from Glangevlin to St John’s Terrace in Westport. Ethna was 11 at the time, as her father was appointed a social welfare officer in their new town. Her education was pursued at the prestigious Sacred Heart, where she expressed a strong desire to delve into the sciences, a field unfortunately closed to females at the time. Unperturbed, she attended mathematics and science classes intended only for boys – a testament to her independence and resolve. Her audacious decision to become the first McManus female to wear trousers reflected her intelligent, forthright nature and her always steadfast convictions.
Deprived of the opportunity to pursue her passion for science after her school life, she chose instead to enter the pharmaceutical sector. She was initially trained in Westport, but later she opened her own pharmacy in Killala. During this time, she demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit by orchestrating a cheese-making cooperative with a group of women. Even at this early phase of her career, her innate flair for collaboration was evident. Notable too was her burgeoning love for the environment, exhibited by her initiative of encouraging youngsters to cultivate a forest.
Deciding not to continue with her pharmacy, she sought the pursuit of politics and economics at UCD in Dublin. It was around this time that Michael Viney, an aspiring British journalist, entered her life. Their paths first crossed at a Galway social gathering. Viney recalls Ethna, her ponytail bopping with each step, as a dynamic community figure – an activist, a community development officer before such designations came into use.
Their meeting also yielded another recollection. Ethna had penned an editorial for a newspaper and was informed that Viney had the necessary skills in shorthand and typing to process it. This meeting started their relationship, which would go on to shape their personal and professional lives.
After courting for almost a year, a promise was made via a signet ring in lieu of an engagement ring – they were to be wed in the historical Ballintubber Abbey in 1965. The bride, set to marry a Protestant, made a pledge to raise all future offspring in the Catholic faith. Michele, their daughter, came into the world four years post this union.
Ethna, post her UCD graduation in 1966, began her career at RTÉ as a researcher. She produced innumerable programmes for the channel but was always designated as a researcher. Her extensive work took her across borders to Zambia covering the mining industry and to Iceland documenting the Cod Wars and conflicts over fishing rights.
Life took a significant turn for Ethna and Michael when they were in their 40s and held prosperous media careers. They decided to abandon city life and move to a secluded cottage on the west coast of Mayo. According to their daughter Michele, this drastic shift was majorly orchestrated by her mother. Michael Viney in his book A Year’s Turning cites, “We became sure of the need for less, yet more in life.”.
The 1970s was a period exploring self-sufficiency, a radical concept back then. This was the period when Michael penned his regular column, Another Life, documenting their rural lifestyle, spanning over four decades. These so-called ‘simpler’ days of early Mayo were anything but simple, filled with learning new skills including goat-herding, apiculture, raising ducks, creating wine, spillet-fishing, horse-training, fence-mending, shed construction, alongside handling regular inquiries from urban visitors over their daily activities.
Ethna, a stalwart feminist and environmentalist, proposed an idea during this time to initiate a co-operative mussel farming project, merging the fisherfolk from North Connemara and South Mayo. The project, which is still thriving in Killary, was a reminiscence of her North Mayo days. Her objective was to endorse economic democracy, equality, and solidarity through the co-op movement. She held the position of an editor at Technology Ireland and wrote independently about economics and women’s issues. Ethna was also amongst the founding members of the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN).
Commencing Michael’s second column, An Eye on Nature, Ethna was responsible for responding to reader’s inquiries for a lengthy period under Michael’s name. Eventually, Ethna received recognition for her contributions to this work. She partnered with Michael to write the significant manuscript, Ireland’s Ocean: A Natural History.
Between 1991 to 2001, Ethna’s primary focus was documentary filmmaking. She produced films addressing how humans were influencing the environment and also a feature on the Céide Fields in Mayo, one of Ireland’s principal Neolithic locations. In addition, she produced a four-part TV documentary series for RTÉ in 2001 called, A Year’s Turning. Her daughter, Michele Viney, who works as a TV and film production accountant, attributes her research and organisational skills to her mother’s teachings. Ethna seamlessly kept up with technological advancements, even taking the initiative to learn how to use a scanner to electronically send Michael’s sketches to the newspaper’s editorial team.
During the Covid pandemic and the initial lockdown, Ethna was swamped with between 75 to 100 emails every day for her Eye on Nature column, a task to which she showed remarkable dedication. Her literary works are diverse; she contributed to Eavan Boland’s book, A Dozen Lips, in 1994. Ethna’s book, Dancing to Different Tunes, released by Blackstaff Press in 1996, explored the topics of feminism and sexuality, examining contemporary theories and the evolving choices women faced in the 1990s.
Ethna’s book dedication acknowledged Michael for his unwavering support, and her daughter, Michele, whose coming inspired the work. After three and a half decades of writing, Ethna had to step away from her column following a pair of mild strokes in 2021. She retired from her writing duties three years prior, at age 92. Michael sadly passed away before her in May of the previous year. She leaves behind her daughter, Michele, her sister Eva and brother Bert.