Former BBC worker and children's author Gordon Snell has died. He was 93. The writer and broadcaster was the husband of the late celebrated author Maeve Binchy.
In a statement, the Echoes Maeve Binchy Literary Festival, which takes place in Dalkey every October, said the couple "spent their very happily married lives together writing heartfelt dedications to each other in their books & entertaining each other with stories. Our consolation is that they are reunited together now in love & laughter." Snell authored more than 40 books published across Ireland, England, Australia, Canada and the USA, with works adapted for BBC and RTE radio and television programmes.
Best known for his children's stories, Snell's debut, The King of Quizzical Island, was published in 1978.
Publisher Ivan O'Brien described Snell as "creative, imaginative and a true gent". O'Brien's press released a number of his titles, including The Supermarket Ghost and Amy's Wonderful Nest.
Mr O'Brien said: "He genuinely loved telling stories, particularly silly ones, and collaborated richly with his editors and illustrators.
"Gordon knew the value and importance of books for children and the world of children's books will be poorer without him."
Binchy's agent, Christine Green, hailed him as a "hugely talented writer", adding: "He was funny and clever and wise and generous: the world is a chiller place with his passing."
Ms Green said: "He loved his adopted country and it loved him back." She described his marriage to Circle of Friends writer Binchy as "close and loving" and said "when she died, he missed her every single day for the rest of his life".
It was during his time working for the BBC in London in the 1970s that Snell first encountered Maeve Binchy, who was employed by The Irish Times at the time.
The pair wed in 1977 and subsequently relocated to Dalkey in Dublin, settling in a home near where she had grown up with her parents.
Their marriage spanned 35 years, coming to an end when she died in 2012. The couple had no children.
