Poet, writer and translator John Montague, who "was involved with the founding of Claddagh Records, which publishes traditional artists and leading literary figures in Ireland," died December 10, the Guardian reported. He was 87. The legendary Irish band the Chieftains took their name from his collection of short stories, Death of a Chieftain (1964). His many books include Collected Poems and The Rough Field. Montague became the first holder of the Ireland Chair of Poetry in 1998, and was made a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 2010.
"Despite a vigorous final period--Smashing the Piano (1999), Drunken Sailor (2004), Speech Lessons (2011) and Second Childhood (due to be published in February 2017)--and the enviable succession of selected volumes (from Oxford University Press, 1982, Bloodaxe, 1990 and Penguin, 2001)--Montague aways seemed to be overlooked, overshadowed by those who influenced him, including his drinking companion and fellow walker Samuel Beckett, and those--like [Seamus] Heaney or Eavan Boland--whom he influenced," the Guardian wrote.