dublin poet thomas Kinsella has died at the age of 93.
Born in Inchicore in Dublin in 1928, he studied science at UCD and originally worked as a civil servant before becoming a full-time academic and writer.
He was poet in residence at Illinois University in the US and later, Professor of English at Temple University, Philadelphia.
One his best known works was the Táin, his translation of the Irish prose epic Táin Bó Cúailnge, which was illustrated by a series of brush drawings by the artist Louis le Brocquy and published in 1969.
Another major work was Butcher’s Dozen – written in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday.
Kinsella was also familiar to generations of Leaving Cert students for poems including Mirror in February.
Dublin’s Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland has lead tributes to the acclaimed poet.
She said: “I was very sorry to hear of the death of Thomas Kinsella and I would like to extend my sympathies to his daughters Sarah and Mary, his son John, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and his many friends and colleagues.
“Like many other Irish people of a certain age, I was introduced to the words of Thomas Kinsella through the Leaving Cert curriculum and his poetry ‘Mirror in February’ and ‘Another September’.”
The Lord Mayor added: “His pride in his home city of Dublin shone through his work and as he said on receiving the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin in Dublin’s City Hall on 24th May 2007.”
The Dublin flags on the Mansion House and City Hall will fly at half-mast to mark his passing.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to literature, Thomas Kinsella was the 75th person to be granted the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2007 by the then Lord Mayor Vincent Jackson.
He also received numerous other awards including honorary doctorates from UCD and Trinity College.
He is survived by his daughters Sarah and Mary, son John and his grandchildren.
