Saoi

Highest honour for a member of Aosdána From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saoi (Irish pronunciation: [sˠiː], plural Saoithe; literally "wise one"; historically the title of the head of a bardic school) is the highest honour bestowed by Aosdána, a state-supported association of Irish creative artists. The title is awarded, for life, to an existing Aosdána member. There are at most seven living Saoithe at any time;[1] a limit increased from five in 2007–08.[2][3] At the conferring ceremony, a torc (a twist/spiral of gold, worn around the neck) is presented to the Saoi, typically by the President of Ireland.

Nominating process

A committee of ten members of Aosdána referred to as the Toscaireacht[4] monitor and manage the nominating process to confirm adherence to the established rules. Fifteen members of the Aosdána must nominate a candidate of merit and distinction. An election by secret ballot then occurs with all members. Approval is determined by at least 50% + 1 of the membership voting approval.

Only one nomination per vacancy may be processed through an election at a time. If multiple candidate submissions are received, they go through the election process one at a time until a successful approval is declared. Subsequent nominees are held until there is a future vacancy.

List

More information Name, Field ...
Saoithe of Aosdána[5]
NameField[nb 1]ElectedInvestedDiedRefs
Samuel BeckettLiteratureOctober 19841985 (in absentia)1989[6][7]
Seán Ó FaoláinLiterature198619861991[8]
Patrick CollinsVisual arts198719871994[9][10]
Mary LavinLiterature199219931996[11][12]
Louis le BrocquyVisual arts199219932012[13][11]
Tony O'MalleyVisual arts199319932003[11][14]
Benedict KielyLiteratureMarch 199619962007[15][16]
Francis StuartLiteratureOctober 199619962000[15][17]
Seamus HeaneyLiterature199719982013[18][19]
Anthony CroninLiteratureMarch 200327 June 20032016[20][21]
Brian FrielLiterature200620062015[22]
Patrick ScottVisual arts28 March 200711 July 20072014[23][3][24]
Camille SouterVisual arts9 May 200824 November 2008 2023[2][25]
Seóirse BodleyMusicSeptember 200824 November 2008 2023[26][25]
William TrevorLiterature29 September 201420152016[27][28]
Edna O'BrienLiterature201515 September 2015 2024[citation needed]
Imogen StuartVisual arts201515 September 20152024[29]
George Morrison Visual arts[nb 2] 20169 March 2017 2025[32][31]
Tom MurphyLiterature20172017 2018[33]
Roger DoyleMusic20192019 living[34]
Eiléan Ní ChuilleanáinLiterature2022 living[citation needed]
Paul MuldoonLiterature2025 living[citation needed]
Dorothy CrossVisual arts2025 living[citation needed]
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Notes

  1. [1]
    The fields of choreography and architecture have not produced any Saoithe.[5]
  2. [2]
    Morrison is a filmmaker; there being no specific category for "film", he is classed by Aosdána under "visual arts".[30][31]

References

External links

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