President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to the writer, broadcaster and documentary maker Manchán Magan who has died at the age of 55.
President Higgins said Manchán "was a truly singular person" who had made "a broad and engaging contribution in bringing the beauty, depth and vitality of the Irish language to so many people, in Ireland and beyond".
Mr Higgins said Manchán "lived an inspirational life and helped so many people to find a deeper meaning in their lives".
"Through his work, Machán inspired so many people, across every generation, to engage more deeply with our native language, its cultural richness, and through it to engage with, respect and learn from our natural landscape and environment," he said.
Mr Magan's work was immersed in exploring language, culture, and landscape through his books, TV shows and documentary films.
A popular and entertaining storyteller, he was born in 1970, and was raised in Donnybrook, in Dublin.
He began his broadcasting career with acclaimed travel documentaries, which brought him to remote corners of the world where he encountered many local tribes and fascinating characters.
Many of the programmes were produced with his film-making brother Ruán for TG4 and RTÉ.
Mr Magan made many TV series including No Béarla, a documentary series about travelling around Ireland speaking only Irish.
He also made an acclaimed ten-part series, Crainn na hÉireann, and his most recent series programme this summer, Listen To The Land Speak for RTÉ One.
He was a frequent newspaper columnist, and presented radio programmes on RTÉ Radio 1.
Other acclaimed books he wrote included Thirty Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish Landscape, and his most recent book Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun), which was published in September.
"He travelled to dive deeply into the way the custodians of those lands lived"
In an interview with Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1 on 13 September, Mr Magan confirmed he had terminal prostate cancer, that had spread to multiple organs.
During the interview, he said that "if I had an agenda, it's the things that connect us to spirit. And I think any ancient traditional culture, their heritage is about what connects them as a tribe, but also what connects them to nature.
"And then where do you go from nature to spirit? It's that mix in any culture around the world. Spirit is the basis. We are in nature, and then we are humans in nature connected. So it's those three things."
Mr Magan's family confirmed that he died in Dublin last night.
He is survived by his wife Aisling, his mother Cróine and his three siblings.
RTÉ broadcaster Fiachna Ó Braonáin said Mr Magan believed in language, nature, humanity and ancient culture "as a portal into enlightenment".
Mr Ó Braonáin, who hosts Late Date on RTÉ Radio One, said his friend was "the most non toxic man I ever came across".
Speaking to the Oliver Callan programme, he said Mr Magan was "born to explore".
"He didn't just travel to sightsee, he travelled to dive deeply into the way the custodians of those lands lived. That's what also informed his immeasurable grá for Gaelige as well," he said.
"What he has done for us on that can't be measured. An amazing, amazing man."
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Manchán helped us to wonder at the things all around us, says TG4 editor
Commissioning Editor with TG4, Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, has paid tribute to Mr Magan.
"My initial thoughts on Manchán, he's one of these people who helped us to really wonder at the things that are on our doorstep, the things that are all around us.
"He helped us, I think, to open up. I think he helped us to realise that the land, the bogs, his last series for TG4 on holy wells, he had a wonderful, wonderful line in there.
"He said, these aren't sanctuaries of mythology, these aren't something you go and visit and say a prayer and come away.
"There's actually a genuine healing for the soul. And he compared it to an energy bank of a mobile phone that is actually energy trapped in these places.
"And it's up to us in a very kind of a humble way to tap that energy out and to complete the circuit, if you like."
She added that "he really believed that as a nation, we needed to complete this circuit. And the way we did that was delving into the past and never, ever in a highly academic or in a didactic way".
"It was always in a fun, in an exploratory, in a very honest [way], and he broke it down in a very simple way," said Ms Ní Ghrainne.
She added that he was "madly funny", and he had compared himself to a "classroom geek".
Meanwhile, Máire Ní Chonláin, Commissioning Editor with TG4 said: "Manchán was a visionary storyteller whose creativity, courage and curiosity brought TG4 audiences on unforgettable journeys into Gaeilge, culture and heritage. He had a rare gift for making us see the world and our own traditions in a new light. His legacy will endure in the powerful programmes he made, and he will be greatly missed."
