Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award

The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award is an Irish poetry award for a collection of poems by an author who has not previously been published in collected form. It is confined to poets born on the island of Ireland, or of Irish nationality, or a long-term resident of Ireland. It is based on an open competition whose closing date is in July each year. The award was founded by the Patrick Kavanagh Society in 1971 to commemorate the poet.

Competition secretaries were Martin Hanratty (1971-2), Tom Quinn (1973-83), Magdalene Quinn (1984-2000), Daigh Quinn (2001-2), and Rosaleen Kearney (2003 onwards). Judges have included Brendan Kennelly, John Montague, Gerald Dawe, Thomas McCarthy, Theo Dorgan, Paula Meehan, Conor O'Callaghan, Vona Groarke, Moya Cannon, and Gabriel Rosenstock. It is now run by the society in conjunction with the Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen.

From 2011, the award is presented at the end of September during the annual Kavanagh Weekend at the Patrick Kavanagh Centre.

1971-1979

 * 1971 	Sean Clarkin Wexford based poet his book Without Frenzy was published in 1974.


 * 1973	Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin Dublin based poet and critic. Her poetry books include Acts and Monuments (1973), Site of Ambush (1975), The Second Voyage (1977), Cork (1981), The Rose Geranium (1981), The Magdalene Sermon (1989), The Brazen Serpent (1994), The Girl Who Married the Reindeer (2001) and Selected Poems (2008).


 * 1974 	Paul Durcan Dublin based poet, who is a member of Aosdána. His books include Endsville [with Brian Lynch] (1967), O Westport in the Light of Asia Minor (1975), Sam’s Cross (1978), Teresa’s Bar (1976), Jesus, Break his Fall (1980), Ark of the North (1982), The Selected Paul Durcan edited by Edna Longley (1982), Jumping the Train Tracks with Angela (1983), The Berlin Wall Café (1985), Going Home to Russia (1987), In the Land of Punt (with Gene Lambert 1989), Jesus and Angela (1998), Daddy, Daddy (1990); Crazy About Women (1991), A Snail in My Prime: New and Selected Poems, (1993), Give Me Your Hand (1994), Christmas Day (1997), Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil (1999), Cries of an Irish Caveman (2001), The Art of Life ( 2004) and The Laugher of Mothers (2007).


 * 1975	John Ennis Waterford based poet- his books include Night on Hibernia (1976), Dolmen Hill (1977), A Drink of Spring (1979), The Burren Days (1985), Arboretum (1990), In a Greener Shade (1991), Down in the Deeper Helicon (1994), Telling the Bees (1995), Selected Poems (1996), Tráithníní (2000) and Near St Mullins (2002).


 * 1976	Aidan Carl Matthews Dublin based poet,author and playwright. His poetry books include Windfalls (1977), Minding Ruth (1983); and According to the Small Hours (1998). His plays are The Diamond Body,, Entrance, Exit and Communion.His  story collections are Adventures in a Bathyscope (1988), and Lipstick on the Host (1992) and his novel, Muesli at Midnight (1990).


 * 1977	Thomas McCarthy Cork based poet and Aosdána member. His poetry works include The First Convention (1978), The Sorrow Garden1 (1981), The Non-Aligned Storyteller (1984), Seven Winters in Paris (1989), The Lost Province (1996) Mr Dineen’s Careful Parade: New and Selected Poems (1999), and Merchant Prince (2005). His novels are Without Power (1990), Asya and Christine (1993) and The Garden of Remembrances (1998), New Island Books, Dublin[1]


 * 1978	Rory Brennan Dublin based poet his works include The Sea on Fire (1978), The Walking Wounded (1985), and The Old in Raphallo (1996).


 * 1979	Michael Coady Carrick-on-Suir based poet and member of Aosdána his books include include Two for a Woman . Three for a Man (1980) Oven Lane (1987). All Souls (1998) and One Another (2003)

1980-1989

 * 1980	Nuala Archer Cleveland based poet her books include Whale on the Line (1981), Two Shores:Poems by Medbh McGuckian and Nuala Archer (1989), The Hour of Pan/Amá (1992), From a Mobile Home (1995)


 * 1981	Harry Clifton Dublin based poet and novelist is a member of Aosdána. His poetry books include he Walls of Carthage (1977), Office of the Salt Merchant (1979), Comparative Lives (1982), The Liberal Cage(1988), Night Train through the Brenner (T1996), The Desert Route Selected Poems 1973-1988 (1992), God in France (2003); and Secular Eden: Paris Notebooks, 1994-2004 (2007). His novels include On the Spine of Italy (1999)and collected stories Berkeley’s Telephone (2000).


 * 1982	Peter Sirr Dublin based poet who is a member Aosdána. His books include Marginal Zones (1984); Talk, Talk (1987), Ways of Falling (1991), The Ledger of Fruitful Exchange (2000), Nonetheless (2004) Selected Poems 1982-2004 (2004) and The Thing Is (2009)


 * 1983	Greg Delanty Vermont based poet his cooks include Cast in the Fire (1986), * Southward (1992), American Wake (1995), The Hellbox (1998), The Blind Stitch (2002), Collected Poems 1986-2006 (2006) and The Ship of Birth (2007).


 * 1984	Tom O'Malley Navan based poet his poetry book is Journey Backward (1988)


 * 1985	Roz Cowman Cork based poet her collection is The Goose Herd (1989).


 * 1986	Padraig Rooney His poetry hooks are In The Bonsai Garden (1988; and The Escape Artist (2006) His novel is Oasis (1982).


 * 1987	Anthony Glavin (decd 2006) was a Poet and Music professor, His poetry book The Wrong Side of the Alps was published in 1989.


 * 1988	Angela Greene (decd.) was a poet whose poetry book Silence and the Blue Night was published in 1993.


 * 1989	Pat Boran Dublin based poet and author, who is a member of Aosdána. His poetry books includes The Unwound Clock (1990), History and Promise (1990), Familiar Things (1993), The Shape of Water (1996), As the Hand, the Glove (2001) and New and Selected Poems (2007) His prose nooks are All the Way from China (1998), Strange Bedfellows (1991,)A Short History of Dublin (2000) and The Portable Creative Writing Workshop (2005).

1990-1999

 * 1990	Sinéad Morrissey Belfast based poet. Her books include There Was Fire in Vancouver (1996), Between Here and There (2001), The State of the Prisons (2005), and Through the Square Window (2009),


 * 1991	Sheila O'Hagan Dublin based poet. Her works include Peacock’s Eye (1992), The Troubled House (1995) and Along the Liffey: Poems & Short Stories (2009)


 * 1992	Aine Millar Dublin based poet. Her collection Goldfish in a Baby Bath was published in 1994.


 * 1993	Conor O'Callaghan Manchester based poet. His poetry books include The History of Rain (1993), Seatown (1999), Fiction (2005) and the novel Red Mist: Roy Keane and the Football Civil War (2004)


 * 1994	Celia de Fréine Dublin based poet and dramatist who writes primarily in the Irish language. Her poetry book in English is Scarecrows at Newtownards (2005) and her poetry collections in Irish are Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha (Of Cabbages and Queens) (2001)and Fiacha Fola (Blood Debts) (2004). Her plays include Nara Turas é in Aistear (That the journey may not have been in vain (2000), Anraith Neantóige (Nettle Soup) (2004) and Cóirín na dTonn (Corinne of the Waves)(2004).


 * 1995 	William Wall Cork based poet and author. His poetry books are Mathematics And Other Poems (1997 and Fahrenheit Says Nothing To Me (2004) His novels include Alice Falling 2000), Minding Children (2001), The Map of Tenderness (2003) and This Is The Country (2005). His shorty story collection is No Paradiso (2006).


 * 1996 	Bill Tinley Maynooth based poet his book is Grace (2001).


 * 1997	Fr. Michael McCarthy Durham based priest and poet. His book Birds' Nests and Other Poems was published in 2003.


 * 1998	Carmel Fitzsimons London based poet


 * 1999  Eibhlin nic Eochaidh Leitrim based poet

2000-2009

 * 2000 Joseph Woods Dublin based poet and Director of Poetry Ireland. His books are Sailing to Hokkaido (2001), Bearings (2005) and was co-editor of Our Shared Japan (2007)


 * 2001	Ann Leahy Dublin based her collection is The Woman who Lived Her Life Backwards (2008)


 * 2002	Alice Lyons Roscommon based, poet and artist, her collection is Staircase Poems (2006)


 * 2003  Manus McManus


 * 2004  Joseph HorganCork based poet His book is Slipping Letters Beneath the Sea (2008)


 * 2005  Dave Lordan Cork based his poetry collections are The Boy in the Ring ((2008) and Invitation to a Sacrifice (2010)


 * 2006  Enda Coyle-Greene Skerries based poet her first collection Snow Negatives was published in 2007.


 * 2007  Conor Carville Reading based poet


 * 2008  Geraldine Mitchell Mayo based poet her first collection World Without Maps was published in 2011.


 * 2009 Martin Dyar Dublin and Mayo based poet.

2010-

 * 2010 Connie Roberts, a Co. Offaly native, emigrated to the United States in 1983.

Anthology of Award winners
Dancing with Kitty Stobling: Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award Winners, 1971-2003 is a selection of poems edited by Antoinette Quinn and was published by Liliput Press in 2004