The writer Francis Stuart has died at his home in County Clare, aged 97. Mr Stuart was the author of more than 30 novels and held the position of Saoi, the highest honour which the Irish arts body, Aosdána, can bestow on an artist. He was born in Australia but returned to Ireland following the death of his father. As a young poet in the 20s he married Iseult MacBride, daughter of Maude Gonne and sister of Sean MacBride. He was encouraged in his early poetry by Yeats. During the Irish Civil war he fought on the Republican side with de Valera.
Francis Stuart broadcast to Ireland from Germany during World War II. The poet Maire Mac An tSaoi tried to have him thrown out of Aosdana over his alleged collusion with Nazism. Last year, Mr Stuart settled a libel action against the Irish Times, which had carried remarks implying that he was anti-Semitic because of what he had written in a book. The remarks were made following the elevation of Mr Stuart to the position of Saoi two years ago.
