Laureate na nÓg is a position awarded in Ireland once every three years to a writer or illustrator of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. It was set up by the

Arts Council of Ireland The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally ) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts". About It was established in 1951 by the government of Ireland, to encourage interest in Irish art ( ...

in 2010 and is managed on behalf of the council b
Children's Books Ireland
It is intended "to engage young people with high quality children's literature and to underline the importance of children's literature in our cultural and imaginative life". Siobhán Parkinson was the first Laureate. As of 2025, Patricia Forde is the incumben
Laureate na nÓg

History

Siobhán Parkinson, described by ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' as "one of Ireland's foremost children's writers", was announced as the first holder of the post on 10 May 2010.

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 ...

Mary McAleese revealed the news at an event held at the Irish Arts Council in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and presented Parkinson with the silver Laureate na nÓg medal. Parkinson announced one of her main aims was that "every child in the country has access to a nice, bright, warm, cheerful, comfortable library, where they can go and find the books that will open their minds and bring them into wonderful imaginary places". One of Parkinson's first requests was an appeal to the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

for the restoration of school library system funding which it had removed due to cuts.

List of position holders

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laureate na nOg Irish children's literature Irish children's literary awards

History

List of position holders

See also

References

External links