The Irish PEN Award for Literature

In 1998 Irish PEN set up an award to honour an Irish-born writer who has made an outstanding

Colm Tóibín , Winner of the 2011 Irish PEN Award for contribution to Irish Literature. Photo courtesy of: Alan Betson / THE IRISH TIMES

contribution to Irish Literature. This Award is for a significant body of work, written and produced over a number of years, and is open to novelists, playwrights, poets, scriptwriters etc.

Members of Irish PEN, as well as previous winners nominate and vote for the candidate. In keeping with the tradition started at the W.B. Yeats dinner in 1935, the writer is presented with the Award in the company of other writers at our annual dinner.

In 1999 the first Irish PEN Award was presented to John B. Keane. Since then Brian Friel, Edna O’Brien, William Trevor, John McGahern, Neil Jordan, Seamus Heaney, Jennifer Johnston, Maeve Binchy, Thomas Kilroy and Roddy Doyle have been recipients.

Brendan Kennelly was awarded with the Irish PEN lifetime achievement award on 29 January 2010. For report, entitled ‘I see you dancing, Brendan’ see Archive February 2010.

Previous PEN Award recipients:

1999 John B.Keane

2000 Brian Friel

2001 Edna O’Brien

2002 William Trevor

2003 John McGahern

2004 Neil Jordan

2005 Seamus Heaney

2006 Jennifer Johnston

2007 Maeve Binchy

2008 Thomas Kilroy

2009 Roddy Doyle

2010 Brendan Kennelly

2011 Colm Tobín

2012 Joseph O Connor

http://www.irishpen.com/wordpress/2011/11/29/joseph-o-connor-is-to-receive-the-2012-irish-pen-award/

Much-loved Maeve Binchy received the Irish PEN award in January 2007

Roddy Doyle, recipient of the Irish PEN award for literatire January 2009

Senator David Norris, Anne Hartigan and Brendan Kennelly, recipient of the Irish PEN lifetime achievement award for literature January 2010