Congratulations to Irish language author, Áine Ní Ghlinn, who has been appointed as the sixth Laureate na nÓg – Ireland’s Children’s Literature Laureate. Ní Ghlinn is the first author who writes exclusively in Irish to be awarded the honour, and will hold the title until 2022.
Laureate na nÓg was established in 2010 to engage young people with high quality literature and to underline the importance of children’s literature in our cultural and imaginative lives. It is an initiative of the Arts Council, administered by Children’s Books Ireland with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Poetry Ireland. Originally from Tipperary, Áine Ní Ghlinn is a children’s writer and poet, who has written over 30 books, including poetry and novels for children and teenagers. Ní Ghlinn said: “I am humbled and excited at being appointed Laureate na nÓg. It is the high point of my writing career and an incredible honour to be the first Irish language writer awarded the honour. As a central part of my Laureate term, I want to raise the profile of children’s literature as Gaeilge and to bring leabhair Ghaeilge do pháistí into the mainstream conversation. I want children, parents, grandparents, teachers to have the same access to high quality children’s literature as Gaeilge as they already have in English. Children deserve the opportunity to engage with Irish language literature for pleasure and not just as schoolwork.”
More details: https://childrenslaureate.ie/
