Jennifer Johnston: She was to me the essential Irish woman, funny, generous warm-hearted

It’s very hard to think of the world without Maeve

It’s very hard to think of the world without Maeve. We all of us knew her health was not the greatest, but I don’t think many people contemplated that she would ever die.

She was to me the essential Irish woman, funny, generous warm-hearted; she always seemed pleased to see you and you were always pleased to see her — to pass time with her, to talk, to laugh and have a drink with her. She travelled the world and wherever she touched down she will be remembered with

great affection, not just from those who read her books but from everyone she met