President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to folk singer-songwriter and "great friend of Ireland" John Prine.
The 73-year-old US musician died earlier this week from complications caused by COVID-19.
In a statement this evening, President Higgins said Mr Prine was a "regular feature of and beloved presence in Galway".
He said: "His songs brought a troupe of captivating characters with him and set them free in small packed rooms in Kinvara, Headford and Galway City.
"He had a great love for the Irish landscape, especially the Burren and Flaggy Shore, as well as for the Irish people with whom he felt a great freedom.
"He was held in deep affection and warmth in particular in the village of Kinvara, where he had a home, and where his sessions in Greene’s were legendary."
President Higgins said Mr Prine was a "gifted and evocative lyricist", as well as a songwriter who "other songwriters looked to for inspiration".
He said: "John’s songs are marked by a sensitivity and social conscience and capture the experience of those on the margins in societies, who have suffered broken dreams, broken homes, and broken hearts.
"His songs were profound and soulful, often sorrow-tinged, but ultimately affirming and wrapped in a distinctively mischievous humour."
President Higgins expressed his condolences to Mr Prine's wife Fiona Whelan Prine - who also contracted coronavirus but has now recovered - and his children Tommy, Jack and Jody.
Mrs Whelan Prine has previously thanked fans for the "outpouring of love" in recent days.
The outpouring of love is a comfort to me and my boys. Thank you for loving @JohnPrineMusic so well. We can feel that love today. Keep listening and sharing his songs as we all find a way to be in the world without him. 🙏🏼❤️
— Fiona Whelan Prine (@FionaPrine) April 8, 2020
