The President and the Taoiseach have led tributes to writer John McGahern, who died suddenly today.
President McAleese said: "With the passing of John McGahern, Ireland has lost an outstanding literary talent.
"John made an enormous contribution to our self-understanding as a people. His work often pitched him into a place of some discomfort, not only for himself but for the reader also.
"His was a challenging voice yet not without compassion, a voice that spoke of his great and honest love for his country and its people," she said.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he had learned with deep regret of the death of John McGahern.
Mr Ahern said: "John was one of Ireland's finest writers ever. His beautiful use of language in telling and retelling the stories of his time and place, are the enduring testimony of his life and his talent."
He said: "John McGahern faithfully lived out his vocation as a writer. The early sacrifice he paid for his work strengthened his resolve. His talent however, was not tied to any passing celebrity. Through decades he slowly, meticulously and beautifully, crafted some of the finest passages of literature ever written on this island.
"Today, I want to extend my deep sympathy to his wife Madeline, the McGahern family and to his wide circle of friends," he said.
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, said: "John's death is a great loss not just to literature but to Irish life generally."
Mr Rabbitte said: "His exceptional skill as a writer of both fiction and non fiction brought an entire new generation of readers to the world of literature. John McGahern was a man of exceptional courage and a fearless opponent of the hypocrisy and cant of which he, himself, was a victim in the 1960s.
"Such an experience might have embittered a lesser man than John, but instead he devoted his talents to becoming one of the finest novelists this country has ever produced."
The Arts Council also expressed its deep sadness at the death of the author who had been a member of the Council since 2003.
Chair of the Arts Council Olive Braiden said: "This exceptional man, who crafted such extraordinary passages of prose has left us.
"John was without question, one of Ireland's most gifted and outstanding storytellers. His brilliant, touching and often witty prose never failed to move readers.
"He was wise and kind, ever sensitive to the needs of artists and dogged in his determination at the council table to improve the situation for artists in the country. We are devastated. Our heartfelt thoughts are with his wife Madeline and sisters at this time," she said.
Tánaiste Mary Harney said she wanted to pay tribute to the enormous contribution that the author of works such as That They May Face the Rising Sunand Amongst Womenhad made to modern Irish literature.
She said: "He leaves behind a body of work that has already ensured his place in the proud literary history of our State. He will be sadly missed."