The many tributes paid to Jerome Hynes, and the sentiments of those tributes, are a mark of the widespread recognition of his immense contribution to this country's cultural life over the past three decades. Just as immense will be his loss, particularly to his family, friends and colleagues.
If anyone could articulate the needs of the arts in Ireland he could, and always with clear-sighted and persuasive argument. His skills as an arts manager were formidable and exemplary - his ability to combine artistic vision with the kind of business acumen that the arts sector often lacks was rare. He was the ideal communicator to win hearts and minds in the cause of culture.
Before it became the mantra it is today, he expressed the view that the arts in Ireland had the potential to be of significant economic and social benefit. As general manager of Druid Theatre Company in its formative years in Galway and as a dynamic chief executive of Wexford Festival Opera he proved this to be the case. With both organisations, and as a member of the Arts Council, he had faith in the capability of the arts here to win international status, and he had the confidence to pursue and achieve this wider acclaim.
Jerome Hynes's gentle charm won the affection of all who came in contact with him. The same gentle charm masked one of the most focused and determined minds working on behalf of the arts. The numerous organisations he served with the utmost dedication were the beneficiaries of his commitment to, and belief in, the value and place of the arts in our society. The generosity with which he shared his expertise was boundless.
Although he has, since 1988, been chiefly associated with Wexford and its opera season, his record of achievement and the legacy he leaves behind extend across a range of art forms. He was a champion of the idea that the arts and business communities could form a mutually enriching partnership. The traditional arts sector was fortunate when the Minister appointed him chair of the committee to devise a new strategy for its future development and funding.
It is particularly poignant that he will not see completion of a project into which he had recently put so much of his energy and creative thinking: the rebuilding of Wexford's Theatre Royal. This must now be his memorial. He once said that the best arts organisations have been born out of individual or group commitment. His own generous commitment - of time and expertise - to the numerous roles he took on bore out the truth of that remark.