The funeral will take place in Birr, Co Offaly, today of Ms Freda Rountree, the environmentalist and chairwoman of the Heritage Council.
Ms Rountree (45), who was diagnosed with cancer late last year, died on Sunday.
A former national chairwoman of Crann, the broad-leaved treeplanting trust, she became the first chairwoman of the Heritage Council when it was established on a statutory basis in 1995.
A graduate of sociology and politics at Trinity College, Dublin, Ms Rountree had since 1987 operated a tree nursery at the same farm at Fivevalley, near Birr, where she grew up.
She had been involved for many years with Crann at a local level before becoming chairwoman in 1992.
Paying tribute, Crann's chairman, Mr Denis Heenan, said: "We have lost an extraordinary intellect, someone with a complete understanding of the natural environment, someone who respected it hugely and really worked for it."
The Heritage Council's chief executive, Mr Michael Starrett, said: "There was an integrity and vitality that surrounded her every action. Her vision, her commitment and her knowledge were profound. She had that rarest of abilities, to inspire confidence and achieve harmony amongst many often disparate interests."
Ms Rountree lived in Leitrim for a number of years after she married. Her husband, Aidan, died last year. She is survived by her daughter, Catherine, grandson Cian, mother and siblings.
