PRESIDENT Catherine Connolly offered her condolences on the death of a County Limerick native, Aosdána member, and beloved and prolific writer and poet, Garbriel Rosenstock.
An acclaimed writer across many disciplines, Mr Rosentock was a champion of the Irish language and cultural matters.
Born in Kilfinane, County Limerick, in 1949, he studied at University College Cork, where he associated with the Innti group of poets. The group spearheaded a literary movement of poets writing modern literature in Irish and was also associated with a literary journal of the same name, of which Rosenstock was a founding member.
Speaking about his passing on April 6, aged 72, President Connolly said: “May I join with all those who have expressed such sadness on learning of the death of the poet, translator, playwright, and writer of so many different forms, Gabriel Rosenstock.”
“Those titles alone could never capture the extent of the contribution which Gabriel made over the course of his life.
“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. He will be deeply missed.
“As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to Gabriel’s wife EithÂne, to his children Tristan, Heilean, and Saffron, and remembering his late daughter Eabha, to his extended family and friends, to his colleagues in Aosdána, and to his many readers and admirers around the world.”
Arts Council chair Maura McGrath also paid tribute to the late literary legend, noting that his “sad death is a great loss for Irish literature”.
“His championship of the Irish language is particularly noteworthy, and he leaves behind an immense volume of work which will continue to inspire generations long into the future.”