Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland today elected 4 new members at its General Assembly at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, bringing its total membership to 250. Those elected were writer Deirdre Kinahan, writer Little John Nee, composers Colman Pearce and  Bill Whelan.

At the meeting, members expressed their deep sadness at the deaths of former members Brian Friel, Aidan Higgins and Theo McNab, all of whom have died since the last assembly. A minute's silence was observed in their memory.  

The General Assembly offers members an opportunity to discuss and explore issues of importance to the arts and artists in Ireland. Presentations by Mairead Owens (County Librarian, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown) and Dr. Ellen Rowley (Dept. of History of Art and Architecture, TCD) were followed by a panel discussion on the relevance of the library in the Ireland of today and tomorrow.

Aosdána was established in 1981 by the Arts Council in order to honour those artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Ireland. Membership of Aosdána, which is by peer nomination and election, is limited to 250 living artists, who have produced a distinguished body of work. The membership includes creative artists working in a wide range of disciplines including architecture, choreography, music, literature and the visual arts. Members of the body must have been born in Ireland or have been resident here for five years. Aosdána members are eligible to receive a ‘cnuas’ from the Arts Council - an annuity for a term of five years - to assist them in concentrating their time and energies in the full-time pursuit of their art.

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