Vona Groarke announced as the winner of the 2024 Michel Déon Prize for non-fiction

On 23 October, at a prize ceremony in the RIA, Vona Groarke was announced as the winner of the €10,000 2024 Michel Déon Prize for non-fiction for her book ‘Hereafter: The Telling Life of Ellen O’Hara’, published by New York University Press.

The prize was presented by President of the Royal Irish Academy, Professor Pat Guiry, and Ruaidhri Dowling from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The ceremony was attended by the newly appointed French ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Céline Place, and featured a conversation between the winner of the 2023 Académie française Michel Déon Prize, Pierre Adrian, and Professor Clíona Ní Ríordáin of the University of Notre Dame.

Professor Hastings Donnan, Chair of the RIA Michel Déon judging panel, said:

‘Hereafter is a rich and gripping mix of poetry, prose and archival material that evokes the ineffable, recovers lost histories and gives context to shadowy figures. Finding the life and humanity of her heroine Ellen O’Hara hidden in the corners of census returns, newspaper cuttings and passenger lists, Vona Groarke has written a truly powerful, enchanting and singular account that illuminates the lives of Irish women migrants. Honourable mention should be given to all the shortlisted authors whose quality of writing, originality and contribution to public debate captivated the judging panel.’

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said:

‘I am delighted that the Department of Foreign Affairs supports the RIA Michel Déon Prize for non-fiction, which recognises outstanding literary talent on the island of Ireland. The Franco-Irish relationship is one based on a strong cultural and artistic affinity, and the co-awarding of this prize, by our two national academies in the Royal Irish Academy and the Académie française, represents and exemplifies the deep bonds between our two nations.’

H.E Céline Place, Ambassador of France to Ireland said:

‘This prestigious award honours the legacy of Michel Déon, one of France’s leading authors of the 20th century. Michel Déon made Ireland his home for 40 years, where he found the inspiration for much of his work as a writer. This prize is yet another living example of the many Franco-Irish connections when it comes to books and reading. Vive l’amitié franco-irlandaise et vive la littérature!’

Acknowledging the calibre of the shortlisted titled, Professor Guiry said:

‘We were thrilled by the outstanding quality of submissions for the 2024 Michel Déon Prize and believe that Vona is a deserving winner through her telling of a difficult period in history in such a unique and beautiful manner. I also want to recognise and congratulate the other shortlisted authors, whose remarkable work set the bar incredibly high and made selecting the winner a difficult task for our eminent judging panel.’

This year’s other shortlisted titles were:

• All Down Darkness Wide by Seán Hewitt (Penguin Random House)
• An Irish Atlantic Rainforest: A Personal Journey into the Magic of Rewilding by Eoghan Daltun (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Landscape Design and Revolution in Ireland and the United States, 1688–1815 by Finola O’Kane (Paul Mellon Centre/Yale University Press)
• Making Empire: Ireland, Imperialism, and the Early Modern World by Jane Ohlmeyer (Oxford University Press)
• The Celestial Realm by Molly Hennigan (Eriu)