Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature was created in 1976 by the Irish American businessman Dan Rooney, owner and chairman of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers franchise and former US Ambassador to Ireland. The prize is awarded to Irish writers aged under 40 who are published in Irish or English. Although often associated with individual books, it is intended to reward a body of work. Originally worth £750, the current value of the prize is €10,000.- 1976: Heno Magee
- 1977: Desmond Hogan
- 1978: Peter Sheridan
- 1979: Kate Cruise O'Brien, A Gift Horse
- 1980: Bernard Farrell
- 1981: Neil Jordan
- 1982: Medbh McGuckian; Special prize awarded to Seán Ó Tuama and Thomas Kinsella for An Duanaire / Poems of the Dispossessed
- 1983: Dorothy Nelson, In Night's City
- 1984: Ronan Sheehan
- 1985: Frank McGuinness, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme
- 1986: Paul Mercier
- 1987: Deirdre Madden, Hidden Symptoms
- 1988: Glenn Patterson, Burning Your Own
- 1989: Robert McLiam Wilson, Ripley Bogle
- 1990: Mary Dorcey, A Noise from the Woodshed
- 1991: Anne Enright, The Portable Virgin
- 1992: Hugo Hamilton
- 1993: Gerard Fanning
- 1994: Colum McCann, Fishing the Sloe-Black River
- 1995: Philip MacCann, The Miracle Shed
- 1996: Mike McCormack, Getting It in the Head ; additional Special Award presented to Vona Groarke and Conor O'Callaghan
- 1997: Anne Haverty, One Day as a Tiger
- 1998: David Wheatley, Thirst
- 1999: Mark O'Rowe, Howie the Rookie
- 2000: Claire Keegan, Antarctica, Special award presented to David Marcus.
- 2001: Keith Ridgway, Standard Time
- 2002: Caitríona O’Reilly, The Nowhere Birds
- 2003: Eugene O'Brien, Eden
- 2004: Claire Kilroy, All Summer
- 2005: Nick Laird, To a Fault
- 2006: Philip Ó Ceallaigh, Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse
- 2007: Kevin Barry, There Are Little Kingdoms
- 2008: Leontia Flynn, Drives
- 2009: Kevin Power, Bad Day in Blackrock
- 2010: Leanne O'Sullivan, Cailleach: The Hag Of Beara
- 2011: Lucy Caldwell
- 2012: Nancy Harris
- 2013: Ciarán Collins
- 2014: Colin Barrett
- 2015: Sara Baume
- 2016: Doireann Ní Ghríofa
- 2017: Elizabeth Reapy
- 2018: Caitriona Lally
- 2019: Mark O'Connell
