Strabane author secures £15,000 award to support his work

STRABANE author Brian McGilloway, best known for his Ben Devlin and Lucy Black crime series, has spoken of his gratitude after receiving a prestigious award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Brian was among just four recipients of the Major Individual Artist Award, which is worth up to £15,000 and supports artists across a range of disciplines in developing their work and achieving long-term goals. Joining him on the winners’ list were poet Shelley Tracey, visual artist Gail Ritchie, and magician Nicola McBride, also known as Nikola Arkane.

Brian said he was ‘elated and privileged’ to receive the award from the Arts Council NI.

“I feel very lucky and extremely grateful that they have considered me to be worthy of the award from the many who would have applied for it.

“The award is for artists who have achieved some level of national or international recognition in their field, and by receiving it I’m honoured to be in the company of some wonderful artists such as poet Moyra Donaldson, writer Glenn Patterson and artist Janet Carson.”