We’re poorer for writers’ deaths - Passing of two men of letters

THIS year has seen the deaths of many cultural icons both here and abroad, among them music legends David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, novelist William Trevor, actor Frank Kelly, and the irrepressible TV star Terry Wogan.

Added to that list over the weekend are John Montague and AA Gill, both extraordinarily influential figures in the field of letters, each with a unique and powerful voice and vision.

Though born in New York, Montague grew up in Tyrone and was unmistakenly Irish, describing the sounds of Ireland in his poem, Windharp, as “that restless whispering you never get away from”.