The death has occurred in Monaco of Billy Vincent, whose family donated Muckross House and its estate to the State in 1932.
Mr Vincent, who was born in 1912 and whose childhood was spent at Muckross House, retained strong links with the place. Tributes were paid to him by Minister for Heritage Jimmy Deenihan, who said he was both a very proud Kerry man and Irish man. “Two lines from the poem by Seamus Heaney capture the essence of the man himself: ‘Prince of giving, saoi, ard-rí, His Kerry court around him’.”
He played a key role in the Irish American Funds and was a significant contributor. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and her children. His remains will be interred with his father in the family grave at Killeagy Graveyard, Muckross, Killarney.