Margery Brady

Margery Brady (died 09.1.2016) was born and reared in Cork. She was affectionately known as the Mary Poppins of Kilkenny, her adopted home. She was a keen cyclist and observer of life. A best-selling author, active member of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, bridge player, maker of scones and cakes as well as being a mother and wife. She was an accomplished painter. she managed to pack an awful lot into one life. Her best selling book, The Love Story of Maud Gonne and WB Yeats caused a stir in academic circles when it was first published. Initially written-off as a Mills & Boon style work, historians and experts on Yeats have laterally lauded it as a seminal work. It has been in continuous print for the past 25 years and has been translated into a number of languages including Korean and is now in ebook form making it one of the most successful ever in the history of Irish literature. The Love Story of Parnell and Katherine O’Shea was not so lucky as it clashed with a book on the same subject by Hugh Leonard. Mr Leonard later wrote to Margery saying; “I’m sorry if this cuts across your work” and they became good friends. She was also friendly with the late Seamus Heaney and other literary figures. Margery, who lived on Greenshill, Kilkenny was in her mid-eighties suffered from Alzheimer's disease in later life. She is buried in Foulkstown cemetery, Co. Kilkenny Source: Commons