The Irishman who developed the Rooster potato has died at the age of 83.
Harry Kehoe passed away at his home in the Rathnapish area yesterday.
The Carlow native spent a lifetime working in plant breeding and spearhead the development more than 35 potato varieties.
He bred the most famous of these, the Rooster, while working at the Teagasc Oak Park Research Centre.
Local Fine Gael councillor Brian O'Donoghue lead the tributes to a "fantastic Carlow man".
He told the Irish Mirror: "It's a very sad loss.
"Harry was a man who contributed an incredible amount to the agriculture industry, to Teagasc, to Irish agriculture in general.
"He was a fantastic Carlow man who will be fondly remembered and sorely missed."
In a rare interview in 2016 Harry revealed that his life's passion was a "slow and expensive" industry.
He told the Irish Independent: "Developing potatoes is a slow and thus expensive business.
"You never know when a variety is going to be successful.
"It could take as much as 100,000 seeds or you might get one out of 100.
"If anything showed a weakness, you just dumped it and started again."
Harry was also conferred with an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin three years ago in recognition of his contributions to the potato breeding industry.
Teagasc paid tribute to the legendary breeder after he was awarded his degree, saying: "He was Oak Park’s most successful potato breeder and ranks up with the great international names in potato breeding like Archibald Finley, Donald McKelvie, Dr. William Black, Dr Harold Howard, John Clarke, and Dr Brian Costello.
"Given the importance of the potato in global food production, as the fourth major food crop in the world after wheat, rice and maize, Harry Kehoe’s achievements are leaving a lasting legacy around the globe."
Harry's funeral mass will take place this Saturday at 11am at a church in Askea, and he will be laid to rest in St Mary's Cemetery.
A notice on RIP.ie reads: "Sadly missed by his loving wife Maura, sons James, Martin, Henry and Anthony, daughter Sandra, daughters-in-law Lilia, Anne-Marie and Una, son-in-law Ronan, grandchildren Laura, Aoife, Ciara, Martin, Harry, Charlie, Louis and Brian, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.
"Reposing in R. Healy & Son Funeral Home Pollerton Castle, Carlow on Friday from 4pm concluding with prayers at 8pm."
