Sebastian Barry is the second Laureate for Irish Fiction and was awarded the honour by the Arts Council in early 2018. The Laureate for Irish Fiction promotes Irish literature nationally and internationally and encourages the public to engage with high quality Irish fiction. The Laureate for Irish Fiction has been developed by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and is supported by University College Dublin (UCD) and New York University (NYU).

Sarah Crossan is a poet and novelist. In May 2018, she was announced as Ireland’s fifth Laureate na nÓg.

Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council. It is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Poetry Ireland and is managed by Children’s Books Ireland. The honour was established by the Arts Council to engage young people with high quality literature and to underline the importance of children’s literature in our cultural and imaginative lives.