Poet Michael Longley has been announced the fourth Ireland Chair of Poetry at a ceremony in Belfast. The Belfast-born poet was invested with his Robe of Office last night by the vice-chancellor of Queen's University, Peter Gregson, in the presence of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and members of the academic and artistic communities on both sides of the Border.
The announcement was "hugely important in the cultural life of Ireland, north and south, and for the world of poetry in general", Prof Gregson said.
"It is also a hugely important event for us at Queen's. Queen's has many assets, but our reputation as a centre for poetry is one that we particularly prize. Few other universities in Britain and Ireland can point to such a wealth of talent, and such a single contribution to modern poetry."
The chair of poetry was established in 1998 to mark the standing of contemporary Irish poets, in particular Seamus Heaney's winning of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. The Professor of Poetry was the first cross-Border academic chair and is co-funded by the two arts councils in Ireland, Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College, Dublin and University College Dublin.
Trinity was represented by Profs Mary Daly, Terence Brown and Iggy McGovern, UCD was represented by Prof Mary Clayton while Ciaran Cross, the Queen's chair of poetry, and UTV's John B McGuckian were also in attendance.
The chairman of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Trust, Sir Donnell Deeny, said the unanimous choice of Longley reflected the high standing of the chair.
Mr McGuinness described Longley as one of the most talented poets of our time.
"Michael Longley's work, including his recently published Collected Poems, has brought great pleasure to many. He is an outstanding poet whose work is enjoyed today and will be enjoyed by generations to come," he said.
"We have recently embarked on a new era of powersharing here and the First Minister and I are firmly committed to building structures and institutions which will underpin a peaceful and prosperous future for all of us. Literature and the other arts have a crucial role to play in what we are trying to achieve.
"I cannot think of a more fitting way to commemorate the achievements of Seamus Heaney than bestowing the honour of chair on the finest poets of our time," he added.
Longley follows John Montague, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and Paul Durcan as holder of the three-year post.
He will be attached to each of the three universities in turn, one year at a time and is required to be in residence at each for approximately one academic term in the year.
The holder makes three formal presentations and holds informal workshops or readings.