merrion street

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, has paid tribute to the internationally acclaimed Irish poet, Eavan Boland, who has died aged 75.

I am extremely saddened to hear of the untimely passing of Eavan Boland at her home earlier today.   Eavan had a stellar career and was undoubtedly the foremost female poet of her generation.  Eavan was such an inspiration in her work as a poet, as a reviewer for the Irish Times and as a professor at Stanford University all of which continued right up to her death.   I would like to offer my condolences to her husband Kevin Casey and her daughters.  Love will heal What language fails to know. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam uasal.   

A native of Dublin, Eavan Boland was a pioneering figure in Irish poetry as well as a leading academic globally.  She was Professor of Humanities and Director of the Creative Writing Programme at Stanford University from 1996 to her death.  She has continued to publish work for over 50 years with her poems and essays appearing in publications which included The Irish Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic and American Poetry Review.  In 2016 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.