Aosdána

Formation	1981; 41 years ago (1981)
Founder	Charles Haughey
Type	Artist's association
Legal status	quango
Purpose	Provide financial support to artists
Professional title	Saoi, Toscaire
Headquarters	The Arts Council, 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2
Region	Republic of Ireland
Membership (2019)	40
Official language	English, Irish
Leader	A committee of ten members, the Toscaireacht
Website	aosdana.artscouncil.ie

Aosdána (/iːsˈdɑːnə/ eess-DAH-nə, Irish: ; from aos dána, 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists.^[1] 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,^[2] by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, well known for his support for the Arts, although Fintan O'Toole has argued that this also served to deflect criticism of Haughey's political actions.^[3]

Membership

The process of induction relies entirely on members proposing new members.^[4] Applications by artists themselves are not allowed.

Cnuas

Some members of Aosdána receive a stipend, called the Cnuas (pronounced , lit. 'collect, store'; 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).^[5]

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 in a ceremony during which a gold torc is placed around the neck of the recipient by the President.

As of 2020^[update], the current living Saoithe are:^[6]

• Seóirse Bodley, composer
• Camille Souter, painter
• Imogen Stuart, sculptor
• George Morrison, film-maker
• Edna O'Brien, writer
• Roger Doyle, composer

Among the deceased holders of the title of Saoi are the Nobel Laureates Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney, dramatists Brian Friel^[7][8] and Tom Murphy, and the artists Patrick Scott and Louis le Brocquy.

The poet Pearse Hutchinson, 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.^[9] Composer Roger Doyle 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."^[10]

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.^[11][12] 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.^[13]

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.^[11]

Meetings

The procedure at meetings is laid down in the Toscaireacht's Standing Orders. Minutes of its meetings appear on Aosdána's web site.^[11]

Current Toscairí

As of 2020^[update], the Toscaireacht included:^[11]

• Eamon Colman (Visual Arts)
• Theo Dorgan (Literature)
• Anne Haverty (Literature)
• Michael Holohan (Music)
• Deirdre Kinahan (Literature)
• Grainne Mulvey (Music)
• Mary O'Donnell (Literature)
• Geraldine O'Reilly (Visual Arts)
• Gerard Smyth (Literature)
• Enda Wyley (Literature)

See also

• List of members of Aosdána

References

External links

• Aosdána website