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Poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa awarded the 2016 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature

Photograph: From left to right: Sara Baume, Trinity Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast, Rooney Prize Winner 2016 Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Anne Enright, and Kevin Barry.

Bi- bilingual poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa, has been awarded €10,000 as this year’s winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, intended for emerging Irish writers. Doireann was born in Galway, grew up in Co. Clare and Currently lives in Cork. Ireland Chair of Poetry Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin described Ní Ghríofa as "a poet to watch, with a fresh view of the world".

A special event was hosted in Trinity College Dublin to honour this year’s winner, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rooney Prize of Irish Literature, and to pay tribute to the Rooney Prize benefactors, former US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney and his wife, Patricia Rooney. The Rooney’s have supported what is the longest literary award in Ireland


Photograph: Dr Daniel and Mrs Patricia Rooney.

The event was attended by some of Ireland’s best known writers and previous winners of the award, including Frank McGuinness, Fiction Laureate Anne Enright, Kevin Barry and Sara Baume.

Photograph: Rooney Prize Winner Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Professor Gerald Dawe.

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Previous Winners of the Rooney Prize

  • 1976 Heno Magee
  • 1977 Desmond Hogan
  • 1978 Peter Sheridan
  • 1979 Kate Cruise O'Brien
  • 1980 Bernard Farrell
  • 1981 Neil Jordan
  • 1982 Medbh McGuckian
  • 1983 Dorothy Nelson
  • 1984 Ronan Sheehan
  • 1985 Frank McGuinness
  • 1986 Paul Mercier
  • 1987 Deirdre Madden
  • 1988 Glenn Patterson
  • 1989 Robert McLiam Wilson
  • 1990 Mary Dorcey
  • 1991 Anne Enright
  • 1992 Hugo Hamilton
  • 1993 Gerard Fanning
  • 1994 Colum McCann
  • 1995 Philip MacCann
  • 1996 Mike McCormack
  • 1997 Anne Haverty
  • 1998 David Wheatley
  • 1999 Mark O'Rowe
  • 2000 Claire Keegan
  • 2001 Keith Ridgyway
  • 2002 Caítriona O' Reilly
  • 2003 Eugene O'Brien
  • 2004 Claire Kilroy
  • 2005 Nick Laird
  • 2006 Philip Ó Ceallaigh
  • 2007 Kevin Barry
  • 2008 Leontia Flynn
  • 2009 Kevin Power
  • 2010 Leanne O'Sullivan
  • 2011 Lucy Caldwell
  • 2012 Nancy Harris
  • 2013 Ciarán Collins
  • 2014 Colin Barrett
  • 2015 Sara Baume
  • 2016 Doireann Ní Ghríofa