His daughter Síabhra said her father’s passing was “very sudden” but “he had been unwell in recent years, so he had spent the last several years in a nursing home in Dublin”.

Acclaimed Irish authors Colm Tóibín and Michael Magee are coming to Tramore Library for a special appearance.  The pair are appearing as part of the The Art of Reading Book Club, organised in part by Ireland Libraries.

The author died peacefully on Saturday following a long illness, a statement from her agent and publishing house said.

‘Long Island’ is the much-anticipated sequel to Colm Tóibín’s 2009 novel, ‘Brooklyn’, which was adapted into a film in 2015