Irish novelist O'Brien (4)
I believe the answer is:
edna
'irish novelist o'brien' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for edna that I've seen before include ". . . . O'Brien, ... Saint Vincent Millay" , "Dame - Everage, housewife-superstar" , "Famous dame" , "Girl for Dane" , "___ O'Brien, Irish novelist, b. 1930" .)