Portrait of Patrick Kavanagh

In November 1967, the Abbey Theatre, under the direction of Thomas Mac Anna, staged 'Tarry Flynn' in Dundalk. While attending a performance of the play, Patrick Kavanagh fell ill. His sisters took him back to Mucker for a couple of days until Katherine Kavanagh came to take him to Dublin.

Diagnosed with pneumonia, Kavanagh died on 30 November 1967, aged 63, in a Dublin nursing home. He was buried two days later in Inniskeen.

Patrick Kavanagh's sisters Annie and Mary recall the poet attending a performance of 'Tarry Flynn' in Dundalk but becoming ill and returning to Inniskeen, and that he expressed the wish to be buried in his home place.

Tomás Mac Anna, Peter Kavanagh, Katherine Kavanagh and Dr Richard Riordan talk of Kavanagh's illness and death. Paul Durcan reads from his poem 'November 1967' about his reaction to the death of Patrick Kavanagh.

The extract of Paul Durcan's poem 'November 1967' appears courtesy of Paul Durcan.