Kathleen Watkins and Gay Byrne's daughter Suzy has said her late mother's "adoration of her grandchildren was renowned", adding that "what they've become is so much down to her".
Ms Watkins, a writer, musician and broadcaster, died earlier today in Dublin, surrounded by her family.
"My father always said that in hindsight mum's life was building up to the day she became a grandmother," she said. "Her adoration of her grandchildren was renowned."
Ms Byrne said she announced her first pregnancy to her mother and said she was a key figure in helping her children Cian, Sadhbh, Kate, Saoirse and Harry become who they are today.
"When I announced to her that I was pregnant with Cian at the time - her first grandchild - she said at that time, when I was only six weeks pregnant, that she will forever be known as Nana Kit and not mum anymore. From that day on, she wouldn't answer to anything else.
"We all called her Nana Kit and her relationship with Cian, Sadhbh, Kate, Saoirse and Harry is phenomenal, and they have benefitted from her interest in them, and her education of them," she said.
She added: "The children that they are and what they've become is so much down to her because she taught them manners and she introduced them to music.
"That became her life for the last twenty years - and Pigín the books were obviously a part of that - but she just adored the grandchildren."
Ms Byrne also spoke about the adoration and "dedication" her parents had for each other and said her mum "was always up with dad in the mornings" despite his early starts.
"They were so dedicated to each other. They really were. She took a step back from her career and broadcasting life for myself, Crona and dad.
"Myself and Crona never needed a key to get into our home in the afternoons after school, she was always there and she was always up with dad in the mornings," she said.
Ms Byrne said her dad was a huge supporter of her mum's interests and always encouraged her to attend social events so that she could "report back".
"I think because of their life in the arts she was always able to keep her interests up and he supported that hugely. So, they were very interesting to each other," she said. "He always encouraged her to do things like to go to London and to the theatre and various things."
After Liveline host Joe Duffy played a recording of Ms Watkins reciting Patrick Kavanagh's, In Memory of My Mother, Ms Byrne praised her mother's passion for poetry.
"She performed poetry extraordinarily and she rehearsed it to within an inch of itself. She had all the pauses in the correct place," she said. "That didn't just happen, you'd hear her reading her poems aloud all of the time. She had such a massive interest in all of the poets and poetry."
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