Kinsella, Thomas

Thomas Kinsella was born in Inchicore in Dublin in 1928. He was educated at the Model School in Inchicore and went on to study science at Univeristy College Dublin (UCD).

After graduating, he worked as a civil servant before becoming a full-time academic and writer.

In the United States, he was poet in residence at Illinois University and Professor of English at Temple University, Philadelphia.

One his best known works was the Táin, his translation of the Irish prose epic Táin Bó Cúailnge.

Another well known work was Butcher's Dozen which was written in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday. Poems such as 'Mirror in February' also appeared on the Leaving Certificate.

He was granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2007 and received honorary doctorates from UCD and Trinity College as well as the UCD Ulysses Medal.