A PLAQUE to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the poet Austin Clarke was unveiled in Dublin yesterday. The bronze plaque in the Literary Parade at St Patrick's Park, near St Patrick's Cathedral, was unveiled by the Lord Mayor, Mr Brendan Lynch, who said of the poet that "the consistently high standard of his output made him one of the truly professional men of letters of his day".
The chairwoman of the council's public art advisory group, Ms Mary Freehill, described Austin Clarke as a "crusading poet".
Clarke was born in Manor Street, Dublin, in 1896 and educated at Belvedere College and UCD. He continued writing until well into his 70s and more than 30 of his works of poetry, drama, fiction and an autobiography were published. He died in 1974.
The Literary Parade in the park was established during the city's millennium celebrations in 1988 each of the bronze plaques features a profile of a Dublin writer and a reference to their major works.