Basil Payne (23 June 1923 — 6 January 2012) was an Irish poet and lecturer.
Payne was educated at Synge Street CBS and University College Dublin.[1] In the 1960s he presented a number of lectures and poetry readings in Dublin including a one-man show at the Gate Theatre.[citation needed] In 1964 and 1966, he won the Guinness International poetry prize.[citation needed]
From 1972 to 1978 he lectured in literature at several universities in the USA.[which?] His published work amounts to three books and several inclusions in anthologies of Irish poetry.[which?] His first book, "Sunlight on a Square", and his final book, "Dark and Light Fantastic", are available in Amazon kindle digital format as is a collection of his Irish Times newspaper articles from the 1960s to the 1980s.[2]