John O'Donohue (1 January 1956 – 4 January 2008) was an Irish poet, author, priest, and
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
ian philosopher. He was a native
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
speaker, and as an author is best known for popularising
Celtic spirituality.
Early life and education
Eldest of four siblings, he was raised in west Ireland in the area of
Connemara
Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...
and
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
, where his father Patrick O'Donohue was a stonemason, while his mother Josie O'Donohue was a housewife.
O'Donohue became a
novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession
A profession is a field of work that has ...
at
Maynooth
Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's ...
, in north County Kildare, at age of 18, here he earned degrees in English, Philosophy, and Theology at
St Patrick's College in
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
. He was ordained as
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest on 6 June 1979.
O'Donohue moved to Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
, Germany in 1986, and completed his dissertation in 1990 on German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...
for his PhD in philosophical theology
Philosophical theology is both a branch and form of theology in which philosophical methods are used in developing or analyzing theological concepts. It therefore includes natural theology as well as philosophical treatments of orthodox and heter ...
from University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
. In 1990, he returned to Ireland to continue his priestly duties, and began his post-doctoral work on the 13th century mystic, Meister Eckhart
Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart, Master Eckhart[Anam cara
''Anam Cara'' is a phrase that refers to the Celtic concept of the "soul friend" in religion and spirituality. The phrase is an anglicization of the Irish word ''anamchara'', ''anam'' meaning "soul" and ''cara'' meaning "friend". The term was ...]
'' (1997), catapulted him into a more public life as an author, speaker and teacher, particularly in the United States. O'Donohue left the priesthood in 2000. O'Donohue also devoted his energies to environmental activism
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advo ...
, and is credited with helping spearhead the Burren Action Group, which opposed government development plans and ultimately preserved the area of Mullaghmore Mullaghmore may refer to the following places in Ireland:
General
* Mullaghmore, County Clare, a limestone hill
* Mullaghmore Peninsula, a peninsula in County Sligo
** Mullaghmore, County Sligo, a village on the Mullaghmore Peninsula
* Mullaghmore, ...
and the Burren
The Burren (; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.
Burren ...
, a karst landscape
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
in County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
.
Later in life, O’Donohue became a prominent speaker on creativity in the workplace. He consulted executives in the corporate sector "on integrating a sense of soul and of beauty into their leadership and their imagination about the people with whom they work."
Just two days after his 52nd birthday and two months after the publication of his final complete work, ''Benedictus: A Book of Blessings'', O'Donohue died suddenly in his sleep on 4 January 2008 while on holiday near Avignon
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
, France. The exact cause of death has not been released by his family, leaving writers of non-fiction to speculation regarding the cause. Articles and posts have listed an aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
, heart problem, and aspiration as possible causes. He was survived by his partner Kristine Fleck, his mother Josephine (Josie) O'Donohue, his brothers, Patrick (Pat) and Peter (PJ) O'Donohue, and his sister, Mary O'Donohue.[
Posthumous publications include a reprinting of ''The Four Elements'', a book of essays, in 2010 and ''Echoes of Memory'' (2011), an early work of poetry originally collected in 1994. In March 2015, a series of radio conversations he had recorded with close friend and former RTÉ broadcaster John Quinn was collated and published as ''Walking on the Pastures of Wonder''.
]
Litigation regarding his will
O'Donohue's last will was held to be invalid by the High Court in December 2011, Justice Gilligan holding that "As a piece of English, the Will is unclear on its face" and that the will was void for uncertainty. The will did not leave anything to his partner Kristine Fleck. In the absence of a valid will his estate devolved on his mother, Josie O'Donohue.[
]
Quotations
* "When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you. Your forgotten or neglected wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within. Thoughts are our inner senses. Infused with silence and solitude, they bring out the mystery of inner landscape."
:- ''Anam Cara'', p. 17
"Part of understanding the notion of Justice is to recognize the disproportions among which we live...it takes an awful lot of living with the powerless to really understand what it is like to be powerless, to have your voice, thoughts, ideas and concerns count for very little. We, who have been given much, whose voices can be heard, have a great duty and responsibility to make our voices heard with absolute integrity for those who are powerless."
* "Music is what language would love to be if it could."[From a radio interview American journalist ]Krista Tippett
Krista Tippett ( née Weedman; born November 9, 1960) is an American journalist, author, and entrepreneur. She created and hosts the public radio program and podcast ''On Being''. In 2014, Tippett was awarded the National Humanities Medal by U.S. ...
had with him, "On Being," rebroadcast on WITF-FM (NPR), Sunday morning, 3 September 2017.
Works
*''Anam Cara'' (1996)
*''Eternal Echoes'' (1998)
*''Conamara Blues: Poems'' (2000)
*''Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace'' (2003)
:Published in the US as ''Beauty: The Invisible Embrace'' (2003)
*''Benedictus: A Book of Blessings'' (2007)
:Published in the US as ''To Bless the Space Between Us'' (2008)
*''The Four Elements: Reflections on Nature'' (2010)
*''Echoes of Memory'' (1994; reprinted 1997 and 2011)
*''Walking on the Pastures of Wonder'' (2015)
:Published in the US as ''Walking in Wonder'' (2018)
References
External links
John O'Donohue
Official Website.
*
;Talks & Interviews
''The Inner Landscape of Beauty''
from American Public Media "Speaking of Faith", the last interview (Fall 2007) with O'Donohue before his death.
*
* ttps://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/tapestry-at-25-john-o-donohue-and-mavis-staples-1.5309014/tapestry-at-25-irish-poet-john-o-donohue-1.5309033 ''Tapestry at 25: Irish poet John O'Donohue''CBC Radio interview November 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonohue, John
Irish poets
People from County Clare
Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth
1956 births
2008 deaths
University of Tübingen alumni
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
Hegelian philosophers
20th-century Christian mystics
Irish spiritual writers
Irish environmentalists
Roman Catholic mystics