Kinsella, Thomas (1928– )

Irish poet and translator. Collections like Fifteen Dead (1979) confront the violence and what Kinsella perceives as the moral vacuum in contemporary Ireland. Later poems are more experimental than accessible. His most celebrated translation is The Táin (1969), from the ancient Ulster hero-tale Táin Bó Cuailange/The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

Kinsella is a prolific and highly regarded poet, whose publications range from Poems (1956) to From Centre City (1994). Early work tended to be personal and lyrical, dealing with the difficulties of love, family illness, and the almost ghostly calm of an unpopulated countryside. His translations from Irish Gaelic into English include show a keen awareness of Gaelic tradition.

Born in inner-city Dublin into a close Catholic community, he was educated by the Christian Brothers and at University College, Dublin.