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Dublin: 12 °C Wednesday 22 May, 2013

Seamus Heaney honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

The Bord Gáis Irish Book Awards have announced this year’s winners…

Image: shutterhacks via Creative Commons/Flickr

THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS took place earlier tonight – and saw poet Seamus Heaney presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award by the new President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins.

Other Irish writers honoured at the Bord Gáis Irish Book Awards included Belinda McKeon, who won the Sunday Independent best Irish newcomer of the year for her novel, Solace, and Neil Jordan – who took home the Hughes and Hughes Irish novel of the year for Mistaken. Alan Glynn took the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award for Bloodland.

The Specsavers Irish Children’s Book of the Year (Older Age Group) went to Anna Carey for The Real Rebecca, while the Younger Age Group prize was awarded to Chris Judge for The Lonely Beast.

Cyclist Nicolas Roche won the best sports book of the year for Inside the Peloton; Rachel Allen took home the best Irish non-fiction book for Easy Meals; and Sheila O’Flanagan scooped the Eason popular fiction book of the year.

The International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the year went to Tim Robinson for Connemara, while The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award went to Caitlin Moran for How to be a Woman.

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Comments (7 Comments)

  • I think studying Irish poets in school sets up negative associations with them. I’ve read Heaney and Longley years after the Leaving Cert and they’re excellent. Nice to see Heaney being honoured.

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    • Yes but it can also introduce you to their genious. Im studying heaney for the leaving and i find it so intersting to link it with the history of this island. Amazing man and representative for this country.

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    • Thats fair enough Stephen and you’re lucky to be thinking that way. For the most part the last thing 17/18 year olds want to do is read Heaney. One things for certain, no amount of years will give me an appreciation for Peig. I hope that’s not still on the Irish curriculum.

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    • You wouldn’t get richer Irish than is in Peig, but it’s too gloomy for most students. But then, I loved English and languages at school. I feel sorry for the current students who have mostly dumb asses for teachers. It’s no wonder standards of education have fallen off the cliff. Don’t take my word for it, we’re now ‘below average’ according to international standards and it’s the teachers’ fault, not the curriculum. I know people I went to school with who weren’t particularly bright and who went teaching… more’s the pity it’s not harder to get into teaching.

      Reply
  • So your telling me Gallagher, Dana et al are were fit to be our first citizen? Dream on!

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  • If he only ran for the Office of President….

    Reply

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