President Michael D. Higgins confers the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on Paul Muldoon
Date: Thu 6th Feb, 2025 | 12:30
Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins this morning conferred the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on the poet Paul Muldoon.
At the ceremony, the President presented Paul Muldoon with the symbol of the office of Saoi, the gold Torc.
Speaking at the ceremony, the President said:
“With poetry, we may seek fulfilment beyond what may be on offer in a world where relationship and meaning take precedence over the immediacy or limitations of consumption, accumulation and the quest for power and profit. It is only by accepting our fragile material condition that we may hope to attain something higher – through artistic creation, human connections, solidarity, the seeking of harmony, of love, of beauty in our lives given our existence as what I have called ‘migrants in time’.
Paul Muldoon’s poetry allows us to undertake such a journey of emancipation. His is a form of poetry known for its many and varied gifts. Some readers have recognised its use of paradox, with Paul’s poems being both playful yet serious, intangible yet direct, innovative yet traditional.
Reflecting upon a lifetime of outstanding creative work, which continues, it is such a pleasure to congratulate Paul Muldoon on being chosen by his peers in the world of arts and culture for this honour and, mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, to thank him for all that he has given, and all that he continues to give to us and to the world of Irish literature.
Traoslaím leis agus guím rath agus beannacht ar a chuid oibre agus ar a shaol.”
The honour of the Saoi is for singular and sustained distinction in the arts. Members of Aosdána may receive the honour of Saoi, which is an honour conferred only on artists whose body of work is considered by their fellow members to be of significant merit and distinction. Not more than seven members of Aosdána may hold this honour, which is held for life, at any one time. A Saoi is elected by fellow members of Aosdána.
Paul Muldoon’s election brings to 22 the number of Saoithe who have been elected across Aosdána’s 44 years. Paul Muldoon is the thirteenth Saoi in the discipline of literature and he joins the company of George Morrison, elected in 2016; Roger Doyle, elected in 2019 and most recently Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, who was elected in 2022.
Paul Muldoon is a poet and professor of poetry, as well as an editor, critic, playwright, lyricist and translator. Born in 1951 in Portadown, Co. Armagh, Muldoon is the author of twelve major collections of poetry, including One Thousand Things Worth Knowing (2015), Maggot (2010), Horse Latitudes (2006), Moy Sand and Gravel (2002), Hay (1998), The Annals of Chile (1994), Madoc: A Mystery (1990), Meeting the British (1987), Quoof (1983), Why Brownlee Left (1980), Mules (1977) and New Weather (1973).
He has also published innumerable smaller collections, works of criticism, opera libretti, books for children, song lyrics and radio and television drama. His poetry has been translated into twenty languages.