Saoi

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 and held by at most seven people at a time. The limit was increased from five in 2007–08. 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 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

Saoithe of Aosdána

Name	Field	Elected	Invested	Died	Refs
Samuel Beckett	Literature	October 1984	1985	1989
Seán Ó Faoláin	Literature	1986	1986	1991
Patrick Collins	Visual arts	1987	1987	1994
Mary Lavin	Literature	1992	1993	1996
Louis le Brocquy	Visual arts	1992	1993	2012
Tony O'Malley	Visual arts	1993	1993	2003
Benedict Kiely	Literature	March 1996	1996	2007
Francis Stuart	Literature	October 1996	1996	2000
Seamus Heaney	Literature	1997	1998	2013
Anthony Cronin	Literature	March 2003	27 June 2003	living
Brian Friel	Literature	2006	2006	2015
Patrick Scott	Visual arts	28 March 2007	11 July 2007	2014
Camille Souter	Visual arts	9 May 2008	24 November 2008	living
Seóirse Bodley	Music	September 2008	24 November 2008	living
William Trevor	Literature	29 September 2014	2015	living

The fields of choreography and architecture have not produced any Saoithe.

External links

• Official Aosdána Website

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