AwardsIrish American Writers & ArtistsHonors Tony Nominee Larry Kirwan October 24
Kirwan receives the 2022 Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.
By
Leah Putnam
October 24, 2022
At at Rosie O'Grady's Skylight Room October 24, Irish American Writers & Artists honors Larry Kirwan with this year's Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.
A 2022 Tony nominee for Best Book of a Musical, Kirwan was born in County Wexford, Ireland. He has written and collaborated on 19 plays and musicals, including his latest Broadway musical Paradise Squarewhich follows the frequenters of a Five Points neighborhood saloon in Manhattan during the American Civil War. Among them are the Black woman who owns the saloon, a conflicted newly arrived Irish immigrant, a freedom seeker, and a once-great songwriter.
Kirwan has also released 16 albums, and co-founded the political rock band Black 47 which he performs in as lead singer and guitarist. He has published three novels and a memoir, Green Suede Shoes, in addition to his work as a political activist.
"Having served on the Board during Larry's five-year tenure as president of Irish American Writers & Artists, I have been lucky to experience first-hand his genial leadership and prodigious creativity," says Maria Deasy, current president of the Irish American Writers & Artists.
Other distinguished recipients of the Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award include William Kennedy, John Patrick Shanley, Judy Collins, Pete Hamill, Malachy McCourt, Joanie Madden, Peter Quinn, and Kate Mulgrew. The award is named for the famous Nobel Prize- and Pulitzer–winning Irish American playwright.
Irish American Writers & Aritsts was founded in 2008 to serve as a community for supporting Irish Americans active in the arts with online and in-person salons and events.
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See the Production Photos of Paradise Square on Broadway
Consisting of four distinct programs dedicated to supporting early career playwrights, the festival has formalized Second Stage Theater’s artistic pipeline.
The program awards three early-career playwrights with professional mentorship, a $7,500 stipend, a public reading, and additional networking opportunities.
The works—by artists like Ty Defoe, Jeanette Harrison, Angélica Negrón, Javaad Alipoor, and more—are the first in a planned multi-year series of multi-disciplinary works about our government.