Seven artists including playwright Conor McPherson, poet Vona Groarke, composer Kevin Volans and architects Yvonne Farrell and Sheila O’Donnell were elected to Aosdána yesterday.
The new members of Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland, were elected at its annual general assembly at the Armagh City Hotel, the first time the gathering has been held in Northern Ireland.
It brings the current Aosdána membership, which is limited to 250 living artists, to 236.
Aosdána was established by the Arts Council in 1981 to honour artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Ireland. The literary world figures strongly among the new members.
Membership of Aosdána is by peer nomination and election and was opened to architects and choreographers in recent years.
If their income is below a certain threshold, Aosdána members living in Ireland may be eligible for a “cnuas” - an annuity of €17,180.
