NUJ pays tribute to Ulick O'Connor

THE National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has paid tribute to the journalist poet, historian, critic and former sportsman Ulick O'Connor, who has died at the age of 90. He would have been 91 next Saturday.

Séamus Dooley,NUJ  Irish Secretary, described Mr O’Connor as “a vibrant and gloriously contrary figure on the media landscape who had made a significant contribution to Irish journalism and the arts”.

 “Ulick O’Connor was a proud member of the NUJ from the day he decided to become a journalist," he stated.

"He enjoyed the notoriety of his early years as a panellist on the Late Late Show. He was a vibrant and gloriously contrary figure on the Irish media landscape. Ulick O’Connor made a significant contribution to Irish journalism and to the arts. He loved writing about poetry and introducing poems and poets to newspaper readers. He was a poet, writer and critic of style and erudition.  He had a particular interest in the work of Brendan Behan, also a member of the NUJ and wrote a biography of Brendan.

"Like Behan, Ulick could be extremely argumentative and  provocative yet capable of great charm and always generous with his knowledge and insights. Ulick was a unique character who certainly made his mark as a journalist, writer, dramatist, sportsman and controversialist.”