POET, WRITER AND broadcaster Pat Ingoldsby passed away this morning at the age of 82, his close friend Vivienne Baillie has confirmed.  

In a post to Pat’s Facebook page, Vivienne wrote: “PAT, August 25th 1942 – March 1st 2025. The beautiful man that was Pat left us early this morning,” alongside Pat’s poem “I Visualise My Death”. 

President Micheal D Higgins paid tribute to Pat this afternoon. Calling Pat’s work “unique and particular, but incredibly inclusive”, Higgins said that many will have memories of discussing his work with him on Westmoreland Street in Dublin.

“Ignoring the advice of his poem ‘A Message for When I’m Gone’, I think it is important to recognise Pat Ingoldsby on behalf of the generations of children and adults too who benefited from the incredibly wide ways that Pat introduced them to poetry, verse and humour,” he said.

“Pat is and will remain in the memory of those across all ages who enjoyed his poetry, drama and performance. May I express my sympathies to Pat’s family, friends and all those who so enjoyed his work.”

Born in Malahide, Co Dublin in 1942, Pat caught polio at the age of two months. He had previously cited the year 1956 as the “beginnings of his psychiatric troubles”. 

He trained as an insurance clerk in Dublin and briefly spent time working in England before returning to Dublin, where he began writing short scripts. In 1965, he spent time in a psychiatric hospital. 

After further time spent in psychiatric care, and Liverpool, Pat began working for RTÉ as a DJ. He had his own show, Saturday Spin, in the late 1960s. In 1977, he put together his first collection of poetry. 

Irish poet and writer Pat Ingoldsby selling his books at College Green, 2007. Albert Gonzalez / RollingNews.ie Albert Gonzalez / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

He came to further public attention when he presented RTÉ children’s programmes Pat’s Pals, Pat’s Hat, and Pat’s Chat, which were hugely popular in the 1980s.

In the 1990s, he retired from public life to “devote himself” to his poetry. He published a large volume of poetry in this time. From the 1990s until 2015 he could often be seen selling his book on the streets of Dublin – until he retired from doing so, saying that it was due to being “caught up by the late effects of polio”.

In 2022, a documentary, The Peculiar Sensation of Being Pat Ingoldsby, looked at the writer and playwright’s life and poetry. 

Pat is widely regarded as a giant of Irish poetry and entertainment.