PARADISE SQUARE Writer Larry Kirwan To Receive 2022 Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award

Today, Irish American Writers & Artists, Inc. (IAW&A) announced that Larry Kirwan will receive its 2022 prestigious annual Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award during an in-person event at the Skylight Room at Rosie O'Grady's in midtown Manhattan on October 24, 2022.

Named for the playwright who embodied the highest level of artistic achievement, the Eugene O'Neill Award recognizes Larry Kirwan's exemplary contributions to the arts.

As co-founder, lead singer, and guitarist of the political rock band "Black 47," Wexford-born Kirwan has played 2,500 gigs and released 16 albums. He has published three novels and a memoir, "Green Suede Shoes." A political activist, Kirwan writes for the Irish Echo and hosts Celtic Crush on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Kirwan has also written or collaborated on 19 plays and musicals, including Broadway's "Paradise Square" which he originally conceived as "Hard Times" and for which he was recently nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book. The show has garnered ten nominations in all.

Maria Deasy, President of the Irish American Writers & Artists, said: "Having served on the Board during Larry's five-year tenure as President of IAW&A, I have been lucky to experience first-hand his genial leadership and prodigious creativity. He really is a Renaissance man and so well-deserving of this honor."

Malachy McCourt, one of IAW&A's founding members, added: "From the Bells Of Hell to Broadway is no easy jump, but Larry landed."

Larry Kirwan joins IAW&A's other distinguished Eugene O'Neill recipients, including William Kennedy, John Patrick Shanley, Judy Collins, Pete Hamill, Malachy McCourt, Joanie Madden, Peter Quinn, and Kate Mulgrew.

IAW&A's Eugene O'Neill Award celebration has always been a must-attend party in New York's Irish American arts and creative communities, and we warmly welcome members and friends, as well as Larry's fans, to our in-person event this October.

Founded in 2008, IAW&A is a vibrant community that encourages Irish Americans who are active in the arts, with online and in-person salons and events.

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