Acclaimed Irish poet Paul Durcan dies aged 80 as tributes pour in
Renowned Irish poet Paul Durcan has died at the age of 80.
In a statement, Mr Durcan's family said he would be 'sadly missed by [his wife] Nessa, his daughters Sarah and Síabhra, his son Michael, his sons-in-law, Mark and Blaise, his daughter-in-law, Linden, and his nine grandchildren.'
The family said that funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
Born in Dublin in October 1944, Mr Durcan is regarded as one of Ireland's most renowned contemporary poets.
He published his first collection, Endsville, with Brian Lynch in 1967 and he would go on to author more than 20 books over the next 50 years.
Mr Durcan received a number of accolades over the course of his career, including the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 1974, the Irish American Cultural Institute Poetry Award in 1989, the Whitbread Prize in 1990, and the London Poetry Book Society Choice.
Mr Durcan celebrated his 80th birthday in October, and a new a collection of 80 poems, titled 80 At 80, was released to mark the occasion.
Tributes have been paid to the acclaimed poet, with Tanaiste Simon Harris saying in a statement: "Paul Durcan was unflinchingly honest, witty and one of Ireland's best poetic voices.
"In the quiet spaces of ordinary moments, he found inspiration.
"His body of work was both accessible and deep and this is shown in his fantastic final selection of eighty of his finest poems, published in celebration of his 80th birthday last year.
"With his passing, Ireland has lost one of its most distinctive and authentic voices - and his work, which often turned the mundane into the extraordinary, will live on for generations."
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