Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy was born  in Dublin and raised in Dalkey where she still lives. The eldest child of a lawyer and a nurse, Maeve received her education at the Holy Child Convent in nearby Killiney. From there she went on to earn herself a BA (Bachelor of Arts Degree) in History from University College Dublin. In the years after she graduated she taught in several schools for girls and wrote stories during her summer holidays.

In 1969 one of her stories earned her a job writing a column in The Irish Times and her career as a writer officially began. She became an editor and moved to London. There she met her husband, Gordon Snell, a presenter for the BBC and author of children's books.

Maeve Binchy's books have put her name on the top 10 of Britain's most popular writers, not to mention the New York Times' Bestseller List. Considered a true Irish storyteller, Binchy's novels touch on issues such as parent-child relationships and the illusion of love.

She remains without a doubt one of the most popular Irish novelists of the 20th Century.

Having previously contributed to Healing Hands: People Remember Nurses in 2004, her most recent collaboration with New Island came in September 2006 with the publication of A Time to Dance. She has also contributed to New Island's successful Open Door series with The Builder's, translated into Irish in 2007.