Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Edna O’Brien
Date: Sun 28th Jul, 2024 | 17:40
“It is with great sorrow that I have heard of the passing of a dear friend of Sabina’s and mine, Edna O’Brien.
Edna O’Brien has been one of the outstanding writers of modern times, her work has been sought as model all around the world.
Edna was a fearless teller of truths, a superb writer possessed of the moral courage to confront Irish society with realities long ignored and suppressed.
Through that deeply insightful work, rich in humanity, Edna O’Brien was one of the first writers to provide a true voice to the experiences of women in Ireland in their different generations and played an important role in transforming the status of women across Irish society.
While the beauty of her work was immediately recognised abroad, it is important to remember the hostile reaction it provoked among those who wished for the lived experience of women to remain far from the world of Irish literature, with her books shamefully banned upon their early publication.
Thankfully Edna O’Brien’s work is now recognised for the superb works of art which they are. As President of Ireland, I was delighted to present Edna with the Torc of the Saoi of Aosdána in 2015, and with a Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Her election as Saoi, chosen by her fellow artists, was the ultimate expression of the esteem in which her work is held.
That work will continue to celebrate the full freedom that a writer must have, the risks and contradictions of circumstance, the release into beauty that imagination makes possible.
May I express my deepest condolences to Edna’s children Carlo and Sasha, to her family and friends, to her follow members of Aosdána, and to all those who love her work across the world.”
ENDS