Aosdána

Aosdána ( , Irish:; from aos dána, '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 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the Taoiseach (prime minister). 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 ten called the Toscaireacht.