SCARIFF LIBRARY is to be named after legendary novelist and Tuamgraney’s finest playwright Edna O’Brien.
Born in December 1930 to farmer Michael O’Brien and Lena Cleary in Drewsborough, Tuamgraney, Edna has gone on to become one of the country’s greatest writers of all-time and among the biggest literary giants across generations. In 1960, her first novel, ‘The Country Girls’ was released and it is fair to say that it caused a stir. It has been heralded on lifting taboos on sexual and social issues in Ireland following World War Two. The book was banned, burned and denounced from the pulpit. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, ironically held in the same building as Scariff Library, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) made the proposal.He stated, “Edna O’Brien has made an immeasurable impact on Irish literature and culture. It is fitting that we recognise her contributions in a meaningful and lasting way. I propose that Scariff Library be officially named the “Edna O’Brien Library” to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of this iconic Irish author to the world of literature.
“As a native of our locality, naming the library after Edna O’Brien will serve as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage of our community and inspire future generations. Edna O’Brien has not only gained international acclaim but has also played a pivotal role in shaping the literary landscape of Ireland. By naming the library after her, we pay tribute to her profound impact on literature and her role as a source of inspiration and pride for our local community”. All elected members in the Killaloe MD rowed in behind Hayes’ motion and paid tribute to the ninety three year old. Cllr Hayes told the meeting he would like a sign to be erected at the library with O’Brien’s name on it. He was anxious for the process to be done swiftly. Senior planner with Clare County Council, Brian McCarthy acknowledged that Edna is “one of the most celebrated writers in the English language and arguably Ireland’s greatest living writer. The proposal to name Scariff Library in honour of Edna O’Brien is fitting and appropriate in recognition of her achievements, her brilliant consistency, literary skill, courage and impact of her work for over sixty years”.
McCarthy outlined that he consulted with the Country Librarian Helen Walsh where it was evident that there was “significant support” for the proposal. He noted, “the proposal is even more apt and fitting as the Edna O’Brien library would be the first Clare County Council building named after a Clare woman and literary pioneer”.Historical and political figures are attached to libraries in the county such as Eamon de Valera (Ennis), Sean Lemass (Shannon), William Smith O’Brien (Newmarket-on-Fergus) and Dr Patrick J. Hillery (Miltown Malbay.
In June, a proposal to go to public consultation to decide on the name of the new Ennis library was defeated with councillors keen to keep the de Valera name. At this sitting, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) suggested it be named after Edna O’Brien instead. Scottish novelist Andrew O’Hagan said that Edna “changed the nature of Irish fiction; she brought the woman’s experience and sex and internal lives of those people on to the page, and she did it with style, and she made those concerns international”.
She has been described by Irish novelist Colum McCann as “the advance scout for the Irish imagination” for over five decades. Philip Roth labelled her as “the most gifted woman now writing in English”, while a former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, cited her as “one of the great creative writers of her generation”. Others to hail her as one of the greatest writers alive include John Banville, Michael Ondaatje and Sir Ian McKellen.On 10 April 2018, for her contributions to literature, she was appointed an honorary Dame of the Order of the British Empire. She was awarded the David Cohen Prize for Literature at a ceremony in London in 2019. The £40,000 prize, awarded every two years in recognition of a living writer’s lifetime achievement in literature, has been described as the “UK and Ireland Nobel in literature”.France announced that it would be awarding O’Brien Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest honour for the arts in March 2021In September 2021, it was announced that O’Brien would be donating her archive to the National Library of Ireland. The Library will hold papers from O’Brien covering the period of 2000 to 2021 and includes correspondence, drafts, notes, and revisions. O’Brien’s papers from 1939 to 2000 are held by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
