A great talker, Irish sailor recalled boring old times (7)

I believe the answer is:

oratrix

'a great talker' is the definition.
(historical term for a female orator)

I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for oratrix that I've seen before include "Lady speaker" , "Woman holding forth" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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