Aosdana

Established in 1981 by a group of Irish writers Aosdána is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. The organisation is arguably the most distinguished art set-up in the country comprising a select group of Irish artists who have each produced a body of work that is original and creative. Its name derives from the Gaelic ‘aos dána’ meaning, people of the arts. Although not untouched by controversy, this artist group has already made a marked contribution to the history of Irish art since its inception. It is restricted to a membership of 250 living artists who must either be native to the country of resident in Ireland for a period in excess of five years and of course they must have produced a significant body of work.

The visual arts, namely painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture are well represented. There are also literary members and musicians and more recently membership has been opened architects and choreographers. Although a self-regulating body, Aosdána only confers membership by its peers but not all artists are comfortable about accepting membership. Reasons given include discomfort at the idea of losing their independence as artists, and unease with the perceived political elitism or 'establishmentarianism' nature of the organisation. Well-known members have included Tony O’Malley, Arthur Armstrong, Patrick Collins, Conor Fallon, Cecil King, Mary Powers, Yann Renard-Goulet, Dáirine Vanston, Nancy Wynne Jones and Anne Yeats. Literary members have included Samuel Beckett and Terence de Vere White.