Rooney Prize for Irish Literature

The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature was created in 1976 by the Irish American businessman Dan Rooney, owner and chairman of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers franchise and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.^[1] The prize is awarded to Irish writers aged under 40 who are published in Irish or English. Although often associated with individual books, it is intended to reward a body of work. Originally worth £750,^[2] the current value of the prize is €10,000.^[3]

List of recipients

• 1976: Heno Magee^[2]
• 1977: Desmond Hogan^[4][5][1]
• 1978: Peter Sheridan^[6]
• 1979: Kate Cruise O'Brien, A Gift Horse (short stories)^[7]
• 1980: Bernard Farrell^[8]
• 1981: Neil Jordan^[9]
• 1982: Medbh McGuckian; Special prize awarded to Seán Ó Tuama and Thomas Kinsella for An Duanaire / Poems of the Dispossessed^[10]
• 1983: Dorothy Nelson, In Night's City (novel)^[11]
• 1984: Ronan Sheehan^[12]
• 1985: Frank McGuinness, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (play)^[13]
• 1986: Paul Mercier^[14]
• 1987: Deirdre Madden, Hidden Symptoms (novel)^[15]
• 1988: Glenn Patterson, Burning Your Own (novel)^[16]
• 1989: Robert McLiam Wilson, Ripley Bogle (novel)^[17]
• 1990: Mary Dorcey, A Noise from the Woodshed (short stories)
• 1991: Anne Enright, The Portable Virgin (short stories)^[18]
• 1992: Hugo Hamilton^[19]
• 1993: Gerard Fanning (poet)^[20]
• 1994: Colum McCann, Fishing the Sloe-Black River (short stories)^[21]
• 1995: Philip MacCann, The Miracle Shed (short stories)^[22]
• 1996: Mike McCormack, Getting It In The Head (short stories); additional Special Award presented to Vona Groarke and Conor O'Callaghan^[23]
• 1997: Anne Haverty, One Day as a Tiger (novel)^[24]
• 1998: David Wheatley, Thirst (poems)^[25]
• 1999: Mark O'Rowe, Howie the Rookie (play)^[26]
• 2000: Claire Keegan, Antarctica (short stories), Special award presented to David Marcus.^[27]
• 2001: Keith Ridgway, Standard Time (short stories)^[28]
• 2002: Caitríona O’Reilly, The Nowhere Birds (poems)^[29][30]
• 2003: Eugene O'Brien, Eden (play)^[31]
• 2004: Claire Kilroy, All Summer (novel)^[32]
• 2005: Nick Laird, To a Fault (poems)^[33]
• 2006: Philip Ó Ceallaigh, Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse (short stories)^[34]
• 2007: Kevin Barry, There Are Little Kingdoms (short stories) ^[35]
• 2008: Leontia Flynn, Drives (poems)^[3]
• 2009: Kevin Power, Bad Day in Blackrock^[36]
• 2010: Leanne O'Sullivan, Cailleach: The Hag Of Beara^[37]
• 2011: Lucy Caldwell^[38]
• 2012: Nancy Harris^[39]
• 2013: Ciarán Collins
• 2014: Colin Barrett
• 2015: Sara Baume
• 2016: Doireann Ní Ghríofa ^[40]

References and footnotes

1. McDonough, Tim (2 January 1981). "Irish Tales Have Rooney Angle". Pittsburgh Press. E. W. Scripps Company. Daniel Rooney, whose correct middle initial, by the way, is M, confirmed that his family annually awards a prize of $2,000 to an Irish writer. The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, he explained, has been given for the last seven years to a native of Ireland who must be under 40 years old and writing in either English or Irish.
2. "An Irishman's Diary", Irish Times, 7 May 1976.
3. Caroline Walsh, "Loose Leaves", Irish Times, 21 June 2008.
4. James McElroy, Ireland: A Traveler's Literary Companion, (Whereabouts Press, 2007), page 147.
5. "The Hogan File", Irish Times, 2 April 2005.
6. "Judges shortlist 16 authors", Irish Times, 4 September 1999 (NB article dates the prize as 1977 but other sources confirm Hogan as 1977 winner)
7. "Writer and editor Kate Cruise O'Brien dies in Dublin aged 49", Irish Times, 27 March 1997
8. Mary O'Donnell, "A scathing scourge of suburbia", Irish Times, 1 February 1992
9. "Neil Jordan Gets Rooney Prize", Irish Times, 7 October 1981
10. "Poet wins £1,000 Rooney Prize", Irish Times, 17 September 1982
11. "Irish Literature Prize Awarded", Irish Times, 30 August 1983
12. Caroline Walsh, "Rooney writing prize awarded", Irish Times 25 October 1984
13. Elgy Gillespie, "Literature prize for Buncrana writer", Irish Times, 14 June 1985
14. David Nowlan, "Playwright wins £2,500 award", Irish Times, 13 June 1986
15. Mary Leland, "No Cheap Thrills", Irish Times, 20 February 1988
16. John Kenny, "Building the structure", Irish Times, 5 April 2003.
17. "Judges shortlist 11 authors", Irish Times, 2 September 1997
18. "The Irish Times / ESB Theatre Awards: The Judges", Irish Times, 8 February 1999
19. "Dublin writer receives award", Irish Times, 16 June 1992
20. "Dublin poet wins Rooney Prize", Irish Times, 17 June 1993
21. "McCann wins Rooney Prize", Irish Times, 18 June 1994
22. Robert O'Byrne, "With a swansong in her Hart", Irish Times, 17 June 1995
23. "Special award presented to two poets", Irish Times, 6 February 1996
24. "Haverty wins literature award", Irish Times, 14 June 1997
25. "Rooney Winner", Irish Times, 4 June 1998
26. "Mark of success", Irish Times, 10 June 1999.
27. "New man in Galway", Irish Times, 10 June 2000
28. "Loose leaves", Irish Times, 9 June 2001
29. "Poem of the week", Guardian, 21 April 2008
30. Fiona Smith, "Stacking myths, making meaning", Irish Times, 20 May 2006
31. "O'Brien captures the Rooney", Irish Times, 10 May 2003
32. "Kilroy wins Rooney", Irish Times, 12 June 2004
33. "Laird wins Rooney Prize", Irish Times, 4 June 2005
34. "Ó Ceallaigh wins Rooney", Irish Times, 17 June 2006
35. Caroline Walsh, "Loose Leaves", Irish Times, 10 October 2007
36. "Novelist Kevin Power is awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature 2009". Trinity College, Dublin. 8 October 2009.
37. "Cork poet O'Sullivan wins Rooney prize". Irish Times. 10 October 2010.
38. "Novelist and Dramatist Lucy Caldwell Awarded Rooney Prize 2011". Trinity College, Dublin. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
39. "Dramatist Harris wins Rooney Prize". Irish Times. 10 October 2012.
40. "Poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa awarded €10,000 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature 2016". Irish Times. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.