Eileen Lynn Kato


Eileen Lynn Kato was Irish academic, translator and expert in Japanese poetry and theater. In 1991, she was appointed to the Japanese Imperial Household as goyogakari - a post she held until shortly before her death. She was the first foreigner to hold such a position.
In addition to being an authority on Japanese Poetry and Theatre, and Waka art, she had a deep knowledge of Old-Middle English, Old Irish, Medieval French and Classical Japanese.

Early life and education

Eileen Lynn was born in Bangor Erris on March 23, 1932. She was educated at the Ursuline Convent in Sligo. She attended the University College Galway where she was awarded a first class honors degree in French and Spanish in 1953. Her father was Jimmy Lynn from Briska, which is a townland just outside Bangor Erris. Her mother was Mary, who was originally from Galway.
In 1954, She obtained scholarships from the French government and attended the University of Poitiers and the Sorbonne. When her husband was posted to the United Nations in New York during the 1960’s She completed a second M.A. in Japanese Studies at Columbia University.

Academic career

Kato's work primarily focused on translations mostly from Japanese to English. She also translated waka poems - Japan’s traditional poetic form - into Irish and English Irish poetry. Her work was included in several collections, including Twenty Plays of the Noh Theatre. She also published a number of articles about Irish and Japanese literature in academic journals such as Monumenta Nipponica.
While living in Japan, Kato developed an expertise in the Noh theatre - the classic form of Japanese dance and drama. She frequently attended the theater and she counted many famous Noh actors as personal friends.

Personal life

While in Poitiers, she met her husband, Yoshiya Kato, who was a Japanese diplomat serving in France. The marriage was only the second case since World War Two in which a Japanese diplomat married a foreign national. The marriage required the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Death

She died aged 76 on 31 August 2008.