Irish Writers Union

The Irish Writers Union, or IWU, is an Irish representative association devoted to the professional interests, working conditions, rights, and public standing of writers. Its membership and remit extend across several forms of literary and creative writing, including novelists, nonfiction authors, poets, playwrights, translators, and writers working in related media. The organization provides a collective voice in discussions involving publishers, copyright, contracts, censorship, royalties, cultural policy, and the economic position of writers. The union’s origins can be traced to an advisory initiative established by educator and writer Jack Harte in 1985. That project sought to provide practical assistance to writers while laying the groundwork for a national writers’ union and a permanent writers’ centre. Following consultation with writers and a meeting in Dublin in 1986 to prepare a constitution, the organization was launched at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin on 15 December 1987. Its constitution had taken effect at the beginning of that year. The union was initially known in some contexts as Comhar na Scribhneoirí. From its early years, the IWU emphasized the unequal bargaining position of individual authors dealing with publishers. It promoted the use of model contracts, advised members on contractual negotiations, and campaigned for clearer and fairer treatment of copyright and royalty rights. It also participated in debates about censorship and artistic freedom. In the late 1980s, the union opposed restrictions imposed by Ireland’s Censorship of Publications Board and argued that decisions affecting literary works should be transparent, accountable, and subject to proper legal safeguards. It also publicly supported Salman Rushdie and the continued availability of The Satanic Verses in Ireland during the controversy surrounding that book. The IWU helped establish the Irish Writers Centre, founded in 1991 and located at 19 Parnell Square in central Dublin. The centre became a national resource for writers and a home for related literary organizations. The union has continued to operate from the centre’s building. In 1993, it affiliated with the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union, commonly known as SIPTU, while retaining autonomy over its internal administration and affairs. The organization is connected to wider literary and copyright networks. It is a member of the European Writers’ Council and works with the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency on issues involving licensing and the administration of authors’ rights. The IWU is Ireland’s sole nominating body for the Nobel Prize in Literature and also nominates for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Its membership structure distinguishes between full members who have achieved qualifying publication or performance milestones and associate members who are actively engaged in writing but may not yet meet the full-membership threshold. Special rules also recognize eligible self-published and electronic-book authors. The IWU is not a commercial consumer brand. Its principal value lies in representation, professional advice, policy advocacy, literary networking, and the collective defense of writers’ economic and creative interests. The organization holds regular executive meetings and an annual general meeting for members. Its history includes involvement by many prominent Irish writers, critics, playwrights, and public figures, while its continuing role is to represent both established authors and writers still developing professional careers.

The Irish Writers Union developed from a writers’ advisory office established in 1985 by Jack Harte, then principal of Lucan Vocational School in County Dublin. The office used a Social Employment Scheme and employed staff to provide practical assistance to writers. Harte’s broader objective was to create both a professional union and a central institution for Irish writers. Poet Padraig MacGrane helped compile a national list of writers, and letters circulated in 1986 invited potential members to consider the proposed organization. Approximately 120 prospective members met at Buswell’s Hotel on Kildare Street, Dublin, in autumn 1986. During a meeting lasting about three hours, they developed a detailed constitution. The organization was formally launched at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin on 15 December 1987, although its constitution was effective from 1 January of that year. Harte became the first chairperson and remained in that role for three years. The union’s early public purpose was to establish creative writing as a viable profession and to negotiate better contracts, working conditions, and remuneration for writers. In the 1990s it was also identified by the name Comhar na Scribhneoirí. Contractual and copyright issues became central to the union’s work. The IWU supported model agreements and advised members about negotiations with publishers. It also campaigned for clearer copyright rules and more equitable royalty arrangements. In 1989, it challenged a legal provision that allowed publishers to sell certain older works without paying continuing royalties to their creators. The issue became especially visible in connection with the loss of royalty income associated with works by W. B. Yeats. The union’s advocacy contributed to wider efforts to align Irish copyright practice with international norms. Freedom of expression was another significant area of activity. In 1987, the IWU and the Society of Irish Playwrights jointly proposed a motion at the European Writers Congress in Madrid condemning artistic censorship. During the controversy over The Satanic Verses in 1989, representatives of the union criticized attempts to prevent the book’s publication or sale in Ireland and expressed support for Salman Rushdie, publishers, and booksellers. The union also opposed the opaque procedures of Ireland’s Censorship of Publications Board, arguing that bans should be subject to public accountability and judicial safeguards. Its campaign included support for challenges to restrictions on books dealing with sexuality and related subjects. The union was involved in the literary debate surrounding the Field Day Anthology in 1991, when concerns were raised about the limited representation of women writers and feminist writing. The IWU organized a public discussion of the controversy, helping provide a forum for debate about inclusion, literary canons, and institutional power. That same period also saw the creation of the Irish Writers Centre at 19 Parnell Square. The centre was established as a national resource for writers and as a shared base for organizations representing different literary communities. Renovation work was supported by an Irish National Lottery grant. In 1993, the IWU affiliated with SIPTU but retained complete internal autonomy. It subsequently continued to work on authors’ rights, licensing, publishing contracts, and cultural policy. The union has maintained links with the European Writers’ Council and the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency. It also holds distinctive literary roles: it is Ireland’s sole nominating body for the Nobel Prize in Literature and nominates for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Membership is available at full or associate level, with eligibility based on publication, performance, professional achievement, or active engagement in writing. Through these activities, the IWU functions as both a trade-oriented representative body and a cultural institution serving writers in Ireland.

• 1993

  SIPTU affiliation

  [1]Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org

  The IWU became affiliated with SIPTU while retaining autonomy in its internal affairs.

• 1991

  Irish Writers Centre founded

  [1]Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org

  The Irish Writers Centre was established at 19 Parnell Square as a national support and resource centre for writers.

• 1987

  Irish Writers Union formally launched

  [1]Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org

  The union was launched at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin on 15 December, with its constitution already effective from January.

• 1987

  Censorship motion adopted at European Writers Congress

  [1]Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org

  The IWU and the Society of Irish Playwrights jointly proposed a motion condemning artistic censorship and calling for the repeal of laws restricting artistic expression.

• 1986

  Prospective members draft a constitution

  [1]Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org

  Around 120 prospective members met in Dublin and prepared the constitution of the proposed writers’ organization.

• 1985

  Writers’ advisory office established

  [1]Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org

  Jack Harte established an advisory project that provided the organizational foundations for a national writers’ union.

An independent professional and representative body that improves writers’ bargaining position, protects literary and copyright interests, and advocates for a sustainable writing profession in Ireland.

• Professional membership · 1987

  Full membership

  Full membership is available to writers who meet qualifying professional or artistic standards, such as having a novel, nonfiction book, or poetry collection published in print, or having a play publicly performed. The union also provides eligibility routes for electronic and self-published authors based on a stated sales threshold.

• Professional membership · 1987

  Associate membership

  Associate membership is intended for writers who are actively engaged in literary work but do not yet satisfy the criteria for full membership. It is designed to include emerging, struggling, and developing writers within the union’s professional community.

• Writer support · 1987

  Contract and rights guidance

  The IWU advises writers on publishing contracts, model agreements, copyright, royalties, and negotiations with publishers. This service addresses the imbalance between individual authors and commercial counterparties and remains one of the union’s central practical functions.

• 1991Field Day Anthology public discussion

  Ireland

  The union organized a public discussion after criticism that the Field Day Anthology inadequately represented women writers and feminist works.

  Outcome. The event provided a forum for debate about representation and the construction of the Irish literary canon.

  Source
• 1989Campaign for continuing royalties on older works

  Ireland

  The union called for legal reform after publishers were able to sell works more than fifty years old without paying creators continuing royalties under the relevant provision.

  Outcome. The campaign highlighted weaknesses in Irish copyright and royalty protection, although a specific legislative outcome is not established in the available material.

  Source
• 1989Support for Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses

  Ireland

  The IWU opposed attempts to ban The Satanic Verses in Ireland and criticized intimidation directed at the author, booksellers, and publishers.

  Outcome. The union publicly aligned itself with freedom of expression and continued literary availability.

  Source
• 1987European campaign against artistic censorship

  Ireland · Europe

  The IWU and the Society of Irish Playwrights jointly advanced a motion at the European Writers Congress condemning all forms of artistic censorship and calling on governments to remove laws that infringed artistic expression.

  Outcome. The motion passed unanimously.

  Source

• 1993

  Affiliate with SIPTU while retaining autonomyStrategy

  Background

  The union sought a formal connection with the wider trade-union movement while preserving control over its own literary and organizational affairs.

  Action taken

  The IWU became an affiliate of SIPTU.

  Aftermath

  The organization continued to operate independently in its internal administration.

  Source

• 1991

  Establish the Irish Writers CentreStrategy

  Background

  The union and associated writers’ organizations needed a permanent base and a national resource for supporting and promoting literary work.

  Action taken

  The Irish Writers Centre was established at 19 Parnell Square in Dublin.

  Aftermath

  The centre became a shared institutional home for writers’ support activities, with the IWU continuing to be based in the building.

  Source

1. 1Irish Writers Unionen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Irish Writers Union official websiteirishwritersunion.org