THE academic, journalist, and broadcaster, Mr Sean J. White, died suddenly while walking in the Burren, Co Clare, yesterday. He was 69. A former Irish Press journalist who subsequently worked in publicity with Bord Failte and CIE, in recent years he held the post of Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Limerick.
He was born in Durrow, Co Laois, and attended St Kieran's College in Kilkenny. Afterwards, he spent time at St Patrick's seminary in Kiltegan before going to UCC, where he took a degree in English. Subsequently, he went to Oxford where he continued with his English studies, before he began lecturing at St Patrick's Maynooth - the first layman to do so since Eamon de Valera taught maths there at the beginning of the century.
During this time he also began editing Irish Writing, a bi monthly literary publication and contemporary of The Bell. During his 10 year tenure there he published first works by Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh and Valentine Iremonger.
In 1958, he began working at the Irish Press where he was theatre critic for a time. For five years, and along with Benedict Kiely, he wrote the Patrick Lagan column, a full page weekly article about events all over the country.
He continued with the Irish Press until 1965 when he went to work for Bord Failte, becoming head of its publicity and public relations for the US in 1967. For the subsequent four years, he lived in New York.
At the end of 1970, he returned to Ireland to become director of publicity and public relations at CIE, a post he held until 1975. That year he left public relations and became a freelance journalist, contributing articles to Ireland of the Welcomes and The Irish Times. In 1979, he was appointed Dean of the School of Irish Studies and was later employed as a consultant to the Irish studies department at what was to become Limerick University. He was later appointed professor there.
Mr White regularly broadcast on RTE Radio 1, where he contributed to the Thomas Davis Lectures series, as well as theatre and literary criticism. He will be best remembered in this context for his appearances on Sunday Miscellany and On This Day.
Mr White is survived by his wife, Mary, daughter, Nicola, who is visual arts director at the centre for contemporary arts in Glasgow, and by his son, Jonathan, who is an actor and writer.
Mr White was also the director of the Irish studies programme at the Burren College of Art. "If he could have picked the way and place to go, it would have been the Burren," Jonathan told The Irish Times last night.
