The Gold Medal is given to a person or persons who exemplify the best of Irish culture and ideals. The award is presented at the annual Gold Medal Dinner, which takes place in spring in Boston.

The Eire Society of Boston is pleased to announce the 2017 Gold Medal Award recipient, novelist, short story writer, playwright, journalist and literary critic, Colm Tóibín.

The Gold Medal Dinner and Award Ceremony will take place on Saturday, 29 April 2017 at 6pm at the Hyatt Regency Boston, Avenue de Lafayette, and will feature a presentation by Tóibín.

“We are particularly pleased to present the 2017 Gold Medal to Professor Tóibín,” says Thomas W. Carty, President of the Eire Society of Boston. “His accomplishments have vaulted him to the forefront of the Irish literary scene. His direct and thoughtful positions on matters of social importance make him a visionary spokesperson for the citizenry of Ireland and its world-wide diaspora. We look forward to the Gold Medal gala celebration this spring in his honor.”

Tóibín’s work explores several main themes: the depiction of Irish society, living abroad, the process of creativity, and the preservation of a personal identity, focusing especially on identity when confronted with loss.

In 2015, Tóibín’s work gained popular, world-wide recognition when his 2009 novel, Brooklyn was made into a feature film, portraying the fortunes of a young Irish woman who leaves her home in rural Ireland for a new life in 1950’s New York. The novel, a haunting tale of love, loss and familial duty, won the 2009 United Kingdom Costa Award and was shortlisted for the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

For more information on the Gold Medal Dinner and Award Ceremony, contact Event Chair, Cathleen McGrail at events@eiresociety.org or call 617.739.6484. Tickets are $150.00 per person. To purchase tickets, make checks payable to the Eire Society of Boston, c/o Cathleen McGrail, 105 Beech Street, #1, Belmont, MA 02478.