Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200. Its governing body is called the Toscaireacht.

Formation

Aosdána was originally set up on the suggestion of writer

Anthony Cronin Anthony Gerard Richard Cronin (28 December 1923 – 27 December 2016) was an Irish poet, arts activist, biographer, commentator, critic, editor and barrister. Early life and family Cronin was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford on 28 December ...

, by ''

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 the nomination of 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 served as Taoiseach on three occasions – 1979 to 1981, March to December 1982 and 1987 to 1992. He was also Minister for the Gaeltacht from ...

, well known for his support for the Arts, although

Fintan O'Toole Fintan O'Toole (born 16 February 1958) is a polemicist, literary editor, journalist and drama critic for ''The Irish Times'', for which he has written since 1988. O'Toole was drama critic for the '' New York Daily News'' from 1997 to 2001 and ...

has argued that this also served to deflect criticism of Haughey's political actions.

Membership

The process of induction relies entirely on members proposing new members. Applications by artists themselves are not allowed.

Cnuas

Some members of Aosdána 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 GB£17,000 or US$23,000).

Saoi

The title of Saoi (lit. "''wise one''") is the highest honour that members of Aosdána can bestow upon a fellow member. No more than seven living members can be so honoured at one time. The honour is conferred by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

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 had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

is placed around the neck of the recipient by the President. , the current living Saoithe are: *

Seóirse Bodley Seóirse Bodley (first name pronounced ; born 4 April 1933) is an Irish composer and former associate professor of music at University College Dublin (UCD). He was the first composer to become a Saoi of Aosdána, in 2008. Bodley is widely regarde ...

, composer * Camille Souter, painter *

Imogen Stuart Imogen Stuart (née Werner; born 1927) is a German-Irish sculptor. She is one of Ireland's best known sculptors with work in public and private collections throughout Europe and the U.S.. She was awarded the Mary McAuley medal in 2010 by Preside ...

, sculptor * George Morrison, film-maker *

Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" ...

, writer *

Roger Doyle Roger Doyle (born 17 July 1949) is an Irish composer best known for his electro-acoustic work, for which he was made a Saoi of Aosdána, and for his piano music for theatre. Education Born in Malahide, County Dublin, Doyle studied piano from t ...

, composer 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 novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

and

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

, 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 req ...

and Tom Murphy, and the artists Patrick Scott and

Louis le Brocquy __NOTOC__ Louis le Brocquy ''HRHA'' (; 10 November 1916 – 25 April 2012) was an Irish painter born in Dublin to Albert and Sybil le Brocquy. His work received many accolades in a career that spanned some seventy years of creative practice. ...

. The poet

Pearse Hutchinson Pearse Hutchinson (16 February 1927 – 14 January 2012) was an Irish poet, broadcaster and translator. Childhood and education Hutchinson was born in Glasgow. His father, Harry Hutchinson, a Scottish printer whose own father had left Dublin to ...

, 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

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."

Toscaireacht

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 its 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 web site.

Current Toscairí

, the Toscaireacht included: *

Eamon Colman Eamon Colman (born 1957) is an Irish painter. He is a member of Aosdána, an elite Irish association of artists. Early life Colman was born in Dublin in 1957. His father, Seámus Ó Colmáin, was an artist. Eamon Colman attended a Christian ...

(Visual Arts) *

Theo Dorgan Theo Dorgan (born 1953) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer, translator, librettist and documentary screenwriter. He lives in Dublin. Life Dorgan was born in Cork in 1953 being second child born into a family of 8 boys and 8 girls to pare ...

(Literature) * Anne Haverty (Literature) * Michael Holohan (Music) *

Deirdre Kinahan Deirdre Kinahan is an Irish playwright and theatre producer. Life Deirdre Kinahan was born in Dublin in 1968. She lives in County Meath with her husband and two daughters since 1998. She founded and ran Tall Tales Theatre Company for fiftee ...

(Literature) * Grainne Mulvey (Music) * Mary O'Donnell (Literature) * Geraldine O'Reilly (Visual Arts) *

Gerard Smyth Gerard Smyth (born 1951) is an Irish poet, born in Dublin in 1951 and began publishing poetry in the late 1960s when his first poems were published by David Marcus in the New Irish Writing Page of The Irish Press and by James Simmons in The Hon ...

(Literature) *

Enda Wyley Enda Wyley is an Irish writer of poetry and children's literature. Life Enda Wyley was born in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin in 1966 and lives in Dublin. She was awarded a B.Ed. by the Marino Institute of Education, Dublin and then worked ...

(Literature)

References

External links

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