His work will remain with us as a testament to the flowering of Welsh writing in English and the emerging Welsh identity in the latter part of the Twentieth Century.

Ieuan Wyn Jones, Plaid Cymru president

Ronald Stuart Thomas, who was a Church in Wales priest, wrote more than20 volumes of poetry in a career lasting more than half a century.

In 1964 he was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

He was widely regarded as the best religious poet of his time although his verse covered a wide range of themes.

Born in Cardiff to non-Welsh speaking parents, he grew up in Liverpool and Holyhead.

Outspoken campaigner

His grand passion was the Welsh language, even though he did not learn it himself until he was 30, and he wrote nearly all of his poems in English.

He was an outspoken campaigner on political issues, such as nuclear disarmament.

Thomas considered himself to be a patriot rather than a fervent nationalist, and his poetry in the 1960's expressed the growing nationalist sentiment in Wales at the time.

There are places in Wales I don't go, Reservoirs that are the subconscious Of a people, troubled far down With gravestones, chapels, villages even. The serenity of their expression Revolts me

'Reservoirs', RS Thomas

As time went on, his views became increasingly outspoken. In the early 1990's, he publicly praised the arsonists who firebombed English-owned holiday homes in Wales.

He also believed that English speakers were ruining Welsh culture and called for "non-violent night attacks" against English-owned properties in Welsh speaking areas.

Even some of his closest admirers found it difficult to condone his uncompromising stance on issues of that kind.

However, despite the controversy that surrounded his public pronouncements, he is likely to be remembered chiefly for the quality of his award-winning poetry which earned him an international reputation.