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THE AUTHOR Mary McCarthy has died at the age of 62 following a battle with cancer, her publisher confirmed today.
The author of five novels including Remember Me, And No Bird Sang, Crescendo, Shame the Devil and After the Rain, McCarthy was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year and wrote about her experience for TheJournal.ie in October.
Her publisher Poolbeg Press posted on its Facebook page today: “Our deepest sympathies go out to Mary’s family. Mary McCarthy was a truly inspirational lady as well as a talented writer. We were honoured to work with her over the last year and I am sure she will be missed by many.”
A former English and French teacher at St Mary’s in Glasnevin, where she herself went to school, for over three decades, McCarthy retired in 2007 and took up writing full-time.
She passed away last night around a year after she was diagnosed with cancer after secondary cancer cells were discovered in fluid that was drained from her lungs. McCarthy wrote last year that doctors had been unable to find primary cancer despite extensive testing, something which happens to around one in 20 people.
In her book published last year, After the Rain, which she first began writing eight years ago, McCarthy told the story of a woman who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, an irony not lost on her when she wrote about it for this website last year.
“Is this a case of life imitating art or what? My story is very different from my heroine, Emer’s experience, although the prognosis is the same,” she wrote.
Speaking about dealing with her terminal diagnosis, she said: “I have had a nice life. I loved my teaching job for 34 years and took early retirement five years ago. I truly loved writing my books. I have seen the places I wanted to see and I have extraordinary people around me.
“I’ve managed to retain my sense of humour, thankfully. There really is a funny side to everything. To my delight, I have my fifth book published. Things could be a lot worse! Or as Emer in the novel says: things always seem better after the rain.”
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I think there is a new movement started in Clare called Independents together which encourages like minded people to have a voice in the running of our country. They are insistent that they are not a political party and nothing to do with Lucinda and co. I believe they have recruited candidates to run in the local elections,which is great , because people don’t know which way to vote now that they have seen the corruption of the last Gover. And the failure of this one to correct it.
What does new political movement actually mean to the person on the street I real terms… No property tax, no water charges, no a and e issues. Will we still have 166 tds on 100k a year plus expenses and advisors etc etc
A lot of these “new politicians” are also teachers with many of the taking a career break to do the honourable thing and return our country back to the people, we have had enough of teachers as they will upon getting elected receive their two pensions …..if they want to get elected resign from being a teacher before you want to be a politician that will endure you more to the people….
I think the word independent in independent td is being diluted
Great. If anyone needs any typesetting done, they know where to go. Do they advise on “photo air brushing ” etc.
Not sure if Donnelly will be involved.
He is already part of the technical group.
So do in this won’t change his impact.
Seems rather pointless TBH
Any vehicle that has Shane Ross and Pat Nulty in it is as attention seeking as it is utterly useless
the independent thought united vision doc is nice and vague, not sure the community orgs they mention are progressive
have your say