PRESIDENT Connolly has paid tribute to poet Gabriel Rosenstock following his death aged 76.
The Limerick native, who was born in Kilfinane in 1949 and wrote mainly in Irish, died this week, his family confirmed.
They remembered him a “restless soul” and someone who “believed in the power of poetry and in its ability to build bridges between different cultures”.
Over the course of his career, Rosenstock, who was a member of Aosdána – thr Irish academy of arts and letters, published over 400 books.
President Connolly has shared her “sadness” over his death.
Describing Rosenstock as a “poet, translator, playwright and writer of so many different forms” she added that “those titles alone could never capture the extent of the contribution which Gabriel made over the course of his life”.
The President explained: “Across an extraordinary career, he made a particularly special contribution to the Irish language, leaving not only a broad body of his own work, but also a remarkably diverse set of translations, through which he brought so many of the great writers of the world to the Irish language.
“His writing has been enjoyed, and will continue to be enjoyed, by people of all ages, while his translations will continue to ensure an engagement between our language and so many of the other cultures of the world.”
She added: “In recent weeks, Gabriel has made a further great and moving contribution in sharing his experiences of illness and his contemplations of life and death with the public.
“He will be deeply missed.”
Rosenstock leaves behind his wife Eithne, his children Tristan, Heilean and Saffron, and is pre-deceased by his daughter Eabha.
Funeral details have yet to be confirmed.
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