Ethna Viney, a seasoned writer with a passion for nature, is due to be interred in County Mayo this coming weekend. At an impressive 95 years of age, Ms Viney, originally hailing from County Cavan, peacefully succumbed last Thursday, in Mayo Hospice surrounded by her loving family. Her spouse Micheal Viney, also a well-respected journalist and nature writer, had passed almost precisely 12 months prior at 90 years old.
She will rest at Louisburgh’s Sweeney’s Funeral Home, not far from their quiet countryside property in Thallabawn, on Saturday. The Vineys made their residence in remote western Mayo having relocated from Dublin in the 1970s, an “alternative lifestyle” about which they both often wrote.
The forthcoming Saturday will see a celebration of Ms Viney’s life, followed by a private cremation. Running for 33 years, her column “Eye on Nature” appeared weekly, often adjacent to Michael’s own nature musings. Apart from her writing, Ms Viney led an active life being a vivid feminist and certified chemist. She briefly served at RTÉ, creating several documentaries in tandem with her husband.