Tributes have been paid to the life of poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, who has died suddenly in France at the age of 53.
Dr O'Donohue, originally from Co Clare and living in Connemara, was a bestselling international author of works such as Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes.
A native Irish speaker, he was a philosopher and a leading member of the Burren Action Group during the campaign against State plans to build an interpretative centre at Mullaghmore, Co Clare.
Dr O'Donohue studied at NUI, Maynooth, and held degrees in philosophy and English literature. In 1990, he was awarded a PhD in philosophical theology from the University of Tübingen. His dissertation sought to develop a new concept of person through a re-interpretation of the philosophy of Hegel.
"Hegel struck me as someone who put his eye to the earth at a most unusual angle and managed to glimpse the circle toward which all things aspire," he said. He had recently been working on a post-doctoral dissertation on the 13th-century mystic and philosopher, Meister Eckhart.
"A phenomenon" was how this newspaper described Anam Cara, which reached the bestseller lists shortly after its publication in 1997. He was also author of Divine Beauty, and his poetry collections included Echoes of Memory and Conamara Blues.
His most recent work, Benedictus: A Book of Blessings, drew on the heritage of "ancient Celtic thought and imagination", offering "a sanctuary of peace and a gentle, illuminating gift of light", its publisher, Bantam Press claimed.
Dr O'Donohue had earned a reputation as a speaker within the corporate sector on leadership and the awakening of creativity. He was a firm supporter of fellow artists, and recently spoke at the unveiling of art collated by the Kenny Gallery at the Inis Aoibhinn support centre for cancer patients at University College Hospital, Galway.
Art was "not an attendant luxury but an inner necessity" for people experiencing serious illness, he said. "When you are ill, you need the most refined, dextrous presence," he noted.
Labour Party president, former arts minister and friend Michael D Higgins last night described his death as a "tragic loss for everybody" and the loss of a "valued friend". Mr Higgins said that he was an "inspirational figure", a person with "immense courage, who gave witness to truth", and a man whose "very presence was enormously valuable, a blessing in itself, even before he started to speak".
Film-maker and close friend Lelia Doolan, who had worked with Dr O'Donohue on the Burren Action Group, described him as a "glorious friend" and "one of life's great spirits".
Dr O'Donohue died unexpectedly on Thursday night in the Avignon area. He is survived by his mother, Josie, two brothers and a sister.
Funeral arrangements will be confirmed later.
