It is with regret that we announce the death of Ulick O’Connor, class of 1945.
Rest in peace
Ulick O’Connor , writer, poet, historian, critic, public intellectual and controversialist, has died aged 90.
President Michael D. Higgins extended his condolences to O’Connor’s family, friends and “all those whose lives he touched in so many ways”.
“His commitment to performance will be remembered fondly as well as his lifelong support for actors and their livelihoods,” Mr Higgins said.
“I was proud to have him as a friend.”
Mr O’Connor wrote biographies of Oliver St. John Gogarty and Brendan Behan, as well as books on the Troubles and the Celtic Revival, and several poetry collections, including Lifestyles in 1973,
All Things Counter in 1986 and The Kiss:
New & Selected Poems in 2009.
His autobiographical The Ulick O’Connor Diaries 1970-1981: A Cavalier Irishman (2001) describes his encounters with well-known Irish and international figures, including politicians Jack Lynch and Paddy Devlin, writer Christy Brown and actor Peter Sellers. The book also details the peace process and the Northern Ireland Assembly over the same period.