Who is Bean Uí Fhloinn in the novel, The Colony?

Bean Uí Fhloinn is the oldest woman on the island, and one of the last remaining Irish speakers in the world. She has a friendship with Masson, who uses her as the centerpiece of his dissertation, and she is deeply observant of the comings and goings of the island. Though Bean Uí Fhloinn is frightened by the disappearance of her culture, she generally advises Masson to avoid involving himself in the lives of the islanders, and adopts a serene, all-knowing attitude toward the changes that sweep through the island.