Tony Canavan pays tribute to writer, poet, broadcaster and lecturer Rory Brennan
by Tony Canavan
It was with deep sadness that I learned of the death of Rory Brennan. I had known Rory for many years as both a colleague and friend. When I first joined Books Ireland as a reviewer in 1996, he was one of the old hands, that small band of reviewers and writers who had been with the magazine from the early years.
Rory was welcoming from the very beginning. At the annual Books Ireland Christmas get together in Jeremy Addis’s house, it was always a pleasure to be in Rory’s company. He relayed numerous amusing anecdotes, bits of gossip and insights on literature in his rich voice that was a pleasure in itself to listen to, not to mention his infectious laugh whenever he reached a conclusion.
He had that rare gift of making you feel that what you said was important to him
However, he was also willing to listen to others, and I enjoyed many a chat with him. He was attentive to what others said, and I found in him a sympathetic listener who gave good advice. He had that rare gift of making you feel that what you said was important to him – and in Rory’s case it probably was.
As I rose to become Assistant Editor and then Editor of Books Ireland, I got to know him more as a colleague. Although a poet himself, he did not limit his range of interests to poetry books, but revealed his erudition in being willing to review a range of books in literature, history and more. His reviews were always flawlessly written and well informed, containing both sharp analysis and deep insight. As an editor I always enjoyed reading his work. And as an editor was delighted that he always delivered the required word count on time!
He touched many lives and his influence will live on long after him
Such was Rory’s modesty, that it was only from other people, or by happening upon his books, that I realised the breadth of his achievements. He wrote six books of poetry which were critically acclaimed and earned him a number of awards. In his writing, he often collaborated with artists to produce books in which poetry and art complemented each other. He was asked to write numerous reviews and articles over the years, and not just for Books Ireland. His work appeared in The Irish Times, The Times Literary Supplement, Poetry Ireland Review and many other periodicals and anthologies. Besides this, he was an educational broadcaster, an arts administrator and lecturer in Communications in Dublin City University. He also served as director of Poetry Ireland for a period. He touched many lives and his influence will live on long after him.
And there was still more to Rory. A Dubliner, he attended Trinity College and made his home in the city, but he also taught abroad for several years in places as various as Morocco and Sweden. He lived on the Aegean island of Paros for long periods. This Greek island provided a setting for many of his poems, and in recent years he spent his summers there.
Rory was a family man too, a husband, father and grandfather. He was married to Fionnuala Brennan, a travel writer and novelist. He leaves behind also his daughters Orla and Fionnuala, sons-in-law Ciaran and Kieth, and grandson Luca.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
