Brian Fallon, the respected author, essayist, and long-serving chief critic of The Irish Times, has died at the age of 93.

Fallon served as chief critic for The Irish Times for 35 years and worked as its literary editor between 1977 and 1988, establishing himself as one of Ireland's most influential voices in visual arts and literary criticism. During his multi-decade tenure at the broadsheet, he also served as features editor and founded the newspaper's Weekend supplement.

Born in 1933 in Cootehill, County Cavan, Fallon was the second son of the poet Padraic Fallon and Dorothea Maher. Educated at St Peter's College in Wexford and Trinity College Dublin, he was introduced to The Irish Times as a young man through his father's friendship with editor R.M. Smyllie. Starting as a night sub-editor while studying classics, Fallon subsequently pursued a full-time career in journalism and art writing.

Over the course of his career, Fallon wrote extensively on Irish visual arts and cultural history. His notable publications include "Irish Art 1830–1990" and "An Age of Innocence: Irish Culture 1930–1960," a study examining mid-century Irish intellectual and creative life. He also authored monographs on key figures in modern Irish painting, including Edward McGuire, Charles Tyrrell, Martin Gale, and Sean McSweeney.

Fallon's contributions to Irish cultural commentary leave a lasting imprint on the history of visual arts journalism and publishing in Ireland.