Kevin Mark Ireland (né Jowsey; 18 July 1933 – 19 May 2023) was a New Zealand poet, short story writer, novelist and librettist.
[Profile](_blank)
''International Who's Who in Poetry and Poets' Encyclopaedia''; accessed 23 September 2015.
Early life and career
Ireland was born Kevin Mark Jowsey in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
on 18 July 1933. As an infant he travelled to London with his parents where they lived for a time before returning to New Zealand. Shortly thereafter, his parents' marriage failed and he grew up on his maternal grandfather's Waikato farm, and then in
Takapuna
Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is situated at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. While very small in terms of population, it ...
where he lived with his father. After leaving school, he studied at
Auckland Teachers' College but did not complete a qualification.
After changing his surname by
deed poll
A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party.
Et ...
to Ireland in 1957, he headed to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1959 where he remained for twenty-five years (with the interlude of a short interval in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, translating
Bulgarian poetry into English); for two decades, Ireland was employed by ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''.
In 1986, Ireland was writer-in-residence at the
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
; in 1987, he was awarded the
Sargeson Fellowship; in 1989, he was the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
's writing fellow, assistant editor of ''Quote Unquote'', and president of
PEN
A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...
, 1990–91.
Personal life and death
Ireland's second wife was Phoebe Caroline Dalwood (1940–2007); Ireland had two sons and lived in
Devonport, New Zealand
Devonport ( ) is a harbourside suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the North Shore, at the southern end of a peninsula that runs southeast from near Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. Eas ...
.
He re-married in 2012 to Professor
Janet Mary Wilson.
Ireland died after a battle with cancer in Auckland, on 19 May 2023, at the age of 89.
Honours and awards
* 1979 –
New Zealand Book Award for Poetry
The Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry is an award at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, presented annually to the winner of the poetry category. The winner receives a 10,000 prize.
History
The New Zealand Book Awards were set up by the New Z ...
for ''Literary Cartoons''
* 1990 –
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people.
Background
The New Zea ...
* 1992 – Appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, for services to literature, in the
1992 Queen's Birthday Honours
* 2000 – Conferred with an honorary
Doctor of Literature
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
degree by Massey University
* 2004 –
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement is a New Zealand literary award established in 2003 by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand), the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government. Each ...
Works
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Short stories
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Novels
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Editor
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Memoirs
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References
External links
"Kevin Ireland", ''New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre''Interview with Kevin Ireland
fo
Cultural Icons
project. Audio.
Profile
natlib.govt.nz; accessed 23 September 2015.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland, Kevin
1933 births
2023 deaths
Deaths from cancer in New Zealand
New Zealand poets
New Zealand male poets
Writers from Auckland
New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire