Sad News Indeed...
Anthony Cronin
It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of Anthony Cronin, one of Ireland's iconic writers, and long-time resident of Ranelagh. He died at the age of 88 but was an active writer up to the end. He was a wonderful friend and supporter of Ranelagh Arts Centre, and we were delighted that a lane off the main street was declared 'Anthony Cronin Lane' during a recent Ranelagh Arts Festival. We extend our sincere sympathy to his wife, fellow-writer Anne Haverty, and to his daughter, Sarah.
Cronin's personal career extends back into history when he was a friend of Kavanagh, Flan O'Brien, Brendan Behan, and all the generation that congregated around McDaid's and The Bailey in the Fifties. He was one of the small group who instituted the celebration of Bloomsday in 1954. But he steadily built a legacy of monumental quality in poetry, fiction, and criticism. When the opportunity arose to shape government policy on the arts, as advisor toTaoiseach Charles Haughey, Cronin introduced many measures that were enormously beneficial to the arts in Ireland and to artists. Initiatives included setting up of Aosdana and gainingsupport for the Irish Writers Centre,.
In Ranelagh we have fond memories of him in his later years, declining in health and mobility, but still very much part of our local community.
- Jack Harte