TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to the late poet Dennis O’Driscoll who has died, aged 58.

O’Driscoll, originally from Thurles in Co Tipperary, died suddenly after being rushed to hospital in Naas on Christmas Eve.

A well-known poet and essayist O’Driscoll was the author of nine volumes of poetry and his work appeared in the Harvard Anthology of Modern Irish Poetry and Faber’s 20th Century Irish Poems.

He won numerous awards for his poetry and was a judge for many major awards including the T.S. Eliot Prize with his work appearing in newspapers, magazines and reviews in Ireland, the UK and the USA.

In 2003 he interviewed fellow poet Seamus Heaney:

YouTube: lannanfoundation

Last week he appeared on RTÉ’s Liveline with Joe Duffy for a special poetry programme with the host, Joe Duffy, paying tribute to O’Driscoll on Twitter yesterday: “Am deeply shocked to hear of passing of great poet, friend Dennis O’Driscoll.”

The Canadian poet and novelist Margaret E Atwood described O’Driscoll’s death as “very sad”.

The independent senator and director of the Abbey Theatre, Fiach MacConghail posted extracts from O’Driscoll’s poem ‘Synopsis’ to his Twitter account.

O’Driscoll reading at the launch of his Anvil Poetry Press collection ‘Reality Check’ in Dublin in September 2007:

YouTube: poetryireland

O’Driscoll’s funeral will take place next Monday.

He is survived by his wife Julie and brothers Proinsias, Seamus and Declan and sisters Marie and Eithne.