Menu
19/03/2009
Heaney Accolade Is Second Irish Honour
The Co Londonderry poet and Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney has received a major national accolade, the David Cohen prize for literature.
It was two in a row for Northern Ireland as the last winner was also Irish, the poet Derek Mahon.
The David Cohen Prize for Literature, worth £40,000, is awarded every two years.
Mr Heaney - who comes from Bellaghy - was presented with the prize at a gala dinner in the British Library by the British Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion.
It honours a living writer from Britain and Ireland for a lifetime's achievement in literature.
Mr Heaney joins a list of previous winners which includes VS Naipaul and Harold Pinter.
Having previously won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, Mr Heaney paid tribute to previous recipients, calling them "a roll call of the best".
"There's the fact that you don't enter for it but are chosen from the wide field of your contemporaries," he added.
Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, who was Chairman of the judging panel, presented the prize.
He said that for the last "40-odd years" Mr Heaney's poems "had crystallised the story of our times, in language which has bravely and memorably continued to extend its imaginative reach".
"At the same time, his critical writing, his translations and his lecturing have invigorated the whole wider world of poetry," he added.
"Setting his name alongside previous winners does honour to the Cohen Prize, even as it honours him."
As the winner of the prize, Mr Heaney has chosen an organisation supporting young writers to receive the £12,500 Clarissa Luard Award.
(BMcC/JM)
It was two in a row for Northern Ireland as the last winner was also Irish, the poet Derek Mahon.
The David Cohen Prize for Literature, worth £40,000, is awarded every two years.
Mr Heaney - who comes from Bellaghy - was presented with the prize at a gala dinner in the British Library by the British Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion.
It honours a living writer from Britain and Ireland for a lifetime's achievement in literature.
Mr Heaney joins a list of previous winners which includes VS Naipaul and Harold Pinter.
Having previously won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, Mr Heaney paid tribute to previous recipients, calling them "a roll call of the best".
"There's the fact that you don't enter for it but are chosen from the wide field of your contemporaries," he added.
Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, who was Chairman of the judging panel, presented the prize.
He said that for the last "40-odd years" Mr Heaney's poems "had crystallised the story of our times, in language which has bravely and memorably continued to extend its imaginative reach".
"At the same time, his critical writing, his translations and his lecturing have invigorated the whole wider world of poetry," he added.
"Setting his name alongside previous winners does honour to the Cohen Prize, even as it honours him."
As the winner of the prize, Mr Heaney has chosen an organisation supporting young writers to receive the £12,500 Clarissa Luard Award.
(BMcC/JM)
Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
16 January 2007
Seamus Heaney wins TS Eliot prize
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has been awarded the TS Eliot prize for his latest collection. The TS Eliot Prize 2006 is awarded to the writer of the best new collection of poetry published in 2006. Heaney won the prize for the collection 'District and Circle' (Faber) that describes his journeys on the London Underground.
Seamus Heaney wins TS Eliot prize
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has been awarded the TS Eliot prize for his latest collection. The TS Eliot Prize 2006 is awarded to the writer of the best new collection of poetry published in 2006. Heaney won the prize for the collection 'District and Circle' (Faber) that describes his journeys on the London Underground.
13 May 2008
Mitchell Praises Paisley
The man widely billed as the architect of the NI Peace process, Senator George Mitchell has praised the outgoing First Minister as he prepared to step down from the Northern Ireland Executive early next month.
Mitchell Praises Paisley
The man widely billed as the architect of the NI Peace process, Senator George Mitchell has praised the outgoing First Minister as he prepared to step down from the Northern Ireland Executive early next month.
14 January 2014
Belfast Poet Laureate Wins TS Eliot Prize
Belfast’s first Poet Laureate Sinéad Morrissey has won the TS Eliot prize for poetry for her collection Parallax. Dr Morrissey's inclusion on the shortlist marked the fourth time she had been nominated for the prize, having previously been shortlisted in 2002, 2005 and 2009.
Belfast Poet Laureate Wins TS Eliot Prize
Belfast’s first Poet Laureate Sinéad Morrissey has won the TS Eliot prize for poetry for her collection Parallax. Dr Morrissey's inclusion on the shortlist marked the fourth time she had been nominated for the prize, having previously been shortlisted in 2002, 2005 and 2009.
12 December 2019
Belfast Poet Ciaran Carson Remembered
Crowds have gathered at the Lyric Theatre to remember the life and work of the late Belfast poet Ciaran Carson.
Belfast Poet Ciaran Carson Remembered
Crowds have gathered at the Lyric Theatre to remember the life and work of the late Belfast poet Ciaran Carson.
16 August 2019
New Children's Writing Fellow Appointed
Local author Kelly McCaughrain has been announced as the new Seamus Heaney Children's Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland. An award-winning writer, Kelly will be based at Queen's University Belfast for the next two years, working with students and engaging in outreach activities.
New Children's Writing Fellow Appointed
Local author Kelly McCaughrain has been announced as the new Seamus Heaney Children's Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland. An award-winning writer, Kelly will be based at Queen's University Belfast for the next two years, working with students and engaging in outreach activities.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:Any rain along the north coast soon clearing north to give a dry evening. Further rain will move south and east in the early hours, occasionally heavy. Remaining mild. Minimum temperature 8 °C.
