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Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association or academy of artists, each of whom must have produced a distinguished body of work of genuine originality. It was created in 1981 by the country's
Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...
on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200. Its steering body is a committee of 10, called the Toscaireacht.


Formation

Aosdána was originally set up by the Arts Council, on the suggestion of writer Anthony Cronin, with support from the
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
,
Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...
, well known for his support for the Arts, although
Fintan O'Toole Fintan O'Toole (born 16 February 1958) is an Irish journalist, literary editor, and drama critic for ''The Irish Times'', for which he has written since 1988. He was drama critic for the ''New York Daily News'' from 1997 to 2001 and is Advisin ...
has argued that this also served to deflect criticism of Haughey's political actions. The first 89 members were chosen by the Arts Council.


Membership

The process of induction relies entirely on members proposing new members, with a system of selective voting used to filter applications. Applications by artists themselves are not allowed.


Stipend (Cnuas)

Some members of Aosdána resident in Ireland receive a stipend, called the ''Cnuas'' (, ; a gift of financial aid put aside for the purpose of support), from the Arts Council of Ireland. This stipend is intended to allow recipients to work full-time at their art. The value of the Cnuas in 2021 was €20,180 (about £17,000 or US$23,000), having been around €17,000 for some years before that. The poet Pearse Hutchinson, a member of Aosdána, described it as "a miracle and a godsend" that allowed him to continue writing at a time when he might have had to give up. Composer Roger Doyle has also spoken about the difference it made: "I was elected to Aosdána in 1986. This gave me a small stipend from the Government each year, which enabled me to devote all my time to composing. This changed my life for the better and I have composed non-stop since then."


Honour - Saoi

The title of Saoi (lit. "''wise one''") is a national honour that members of Aosdána can bestow upon a fellow member. No more than seven living members (previously five) can be so honoured at one time. The honour is conferred by the
President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
in a ceremony during which a gold
torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some have hook and ring closures and a few hav ...
is placed around the neck of the recipient by the President. , the current living Saoithe were: * George Morrison, film-maker * Roger Doyle, composer * Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, poet * Paul Muldoon, poet Among the deceased holders of the title of Saoi are the Nobel Laureates
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
and
Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish Irish poetry, poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is ''Death of a Naturalist'' (1966), his first m ...
, dramatists
Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription requ ...
and Tom Murphy, and the artists Patrick Scott, Louis le Brocquy,
Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (15 December 1930 – 27 July 2024) was an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. O'Brien's works often revolve around the inner feelings of women and their problems relating to men and soc ...
, and Camille Souter.


Governance


Toscaireacht and Assembly

The ''Toscaireacht'' ("delegation") is a committee of ten members, called Toscairí, of the Aosdána. It meets several times a year to deal with the administration and external relations of Aosdána, reports to every General Assembly, which meets once a year, and sets the assembly's agenda. When new members of Aosdána are proposed, the Toscairí have the task of verifying that the nomination process has been complied with, and also that the candidate is willing to accept membership, before the next stage of election is begun.Aosdána
at visual-arts-cork.com


Elections

Toscairí are elected to the Toscaireacht by the members of Aosdána for two years at a time. All members of Aosdána are eligible for election, and nominations must be made in writing by three members. The electoral process is in two stages. First, within each of Aosdána's three disciplines (Music, Literature, and Visual Arts), the two nominees with the highest number of votes are elected: this guarantees a minimum of two Toscairí from each of the disciplines. Next, the remaining four places are filled by the remaining nominees from any discipline who have the highest number of votes.


Meetings

The procedure at meetings is laid down in the Toscaireacht's Standing Orders. Minutes of its meetings appear on Aosdána's website.


Current Toscairí

, the Toscaireacht members are: * Cecily Brennan (Chair) (Visual Arts) * John Scott (Choreography) * Evelyn Conlon (Literature) * Jimmy Murphy (Literature) * Peter Sirr (Literature) * John McLachlan (Music) * Gráinne Mulvey (Music) * Amanda Coogan (Visual Arts) * Eithne Jordan (Visual Arts) * Mick O'Dea (Visual Arts)


See also

* List of members of Aosdána


References


External links


Aosdána website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aosdana Academies of arts Learned societies of Ireland Irish artist groups and collectives 1981 establishments in Ireland