Navarrese poet born in Pamplona on October 9, 1942.
Grandson of the surgeon and writer Ferm n Irigaray "Larreko" and the doctor and man of letters Aingeru Irigaray "Apat-Etxebarne". A graduate in medicine, he worked in this profession until 1996, when he took charge of the cultural programming of the Kafe Antzokia centre in Bilbao, and around the same time he became a member of the editorial team of the Pamiela publishing house, with which he had been collaborating for many years. He is also a member of the Oteiza Foundation, in charge of managing the legacy of the sculptor Jorge Oteiza.
He has published the books Bizi minaren olerkian (Edit. Pamiela, 1986) and Urdinkara (Edit. Pamiela, 1995). His poems have been set to music on numerous occasions by Benito Lertxundi; for example: Urak dakarrena, Oi Zuberoa!, Orbaizetako arma olaren kantua and Bizkaia maite .
In 2001 he published an anthology in the collection XX. mendeko poesia kaierak (Edit. Susa), and in the prologue to the same Koldo Izagirre said that Irigaray's poetry "is a great attempt to express Navarreseness" and he appreciated in this poetic work a "national longing". Irigaray s himself hurt by the situation of the Basque language in Navarre and by the decline of the Old Kingdom, claiming a people "who are not at the mercy of any wind". According to Izagirre, Irigaray lives in an "internal exile", hence he uses so many toponyms and old names and references to times past, although the nostalgic poet does not only look back, but is worried about the future of the Basque Country and its language.
Irigaray has written books of reflection on the social normalisation of the Basque language, such as Euskara bizitzaren kenkan. Orekaren mintzoa (Ed. Pamiela, 1988); and also a book of short stories entitled Gauerdiko ele galduak (Ed. Elkar). In addition, she was responsible for the publication of her father's reflections on the outbreak of the civil war of 1936-1939. That book was entitled Gerla urte, gezur urte (Ed. Pamiela).