Lisdoonvarna architect, Shelley McNamara has won the coveted Pritzker Prize alongside Yvonne Farrell.

They are the first Irish citizens to win the internationally recognised distinction which is viewed as the architecture equivalent to the Nobel Prize. The duo were announced as the 2020 laureates of the award last March.

Shelley was reminded of “the empty stage of a Samuel Beckett play” when accepting the prize without an audience at the Long Room of Trinity College Library.

“But of course, we are not alone. We are in a space which holds time, and knowledge, and treasures of the mind. We can feel the presences of all the great people who passed through this great space. We chose this room so that we could celebrate the power of architecture here in our own city. So that we would feel part of a bigger order, which of course is one of the functions of architecture.”

Founders of Grafton Architects in 1978, Shelley and Yvonne first met at university in 1974. They will become become the 47th and 48th Pritzker laureates. They are also the fourth and fifth women to claim the award in its 42 year history.

President Michael D. Higgins congratulated the duo in an online video describing the honour as “a wonderful achievement”. He said the naming of Farrell and McNamara as Laureates “accorded the highest accolade within your profession”.

When named 2020 laureates earlier this year, the Dublin based architects were praised for their “unceasing commitment to excellence in architecture, their responsible attitude toward the environment, their ability to be cosmopolitan while embracing the uniqueness of each place in which they work” as well as their “belief in collaboration” and their “generosity towards their colleagues”.

Tom Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award, said the pair had “demonstrated that friendship, socialization and partnership are the wellspring for the humane ideals to which their built work is dedicated.”

Grafton Architects were the recipients of the 2012 Venice Biennale silver lion award with Ms Farrell and Ms McNamara going to curate the 2018 Venice Biennale. In 2019, they were awarded the RIAI James Gandon medal for lifetime achievement in architecture and earlier this year they received the 2020 Royal Gold Medal, the UK’s highest honour for architecture.

Related News

jarlath burns 1-2
GAA President Burns to maintain Scariff Harbour Festival's links with Northern Ireland & GAA
michael mcnamara 3
AI offers generational opportunity for Mid-West to become Ireland's digital home - McNamara
shannon airport departures 1-2
Passenger numbers up 7% to 1.04m for first half of 2025 at Shannon Airport
shannon airport fencing 2
Shannon Airport install new security fencing following recent breaches

Advertisement

Latest News
shannon airport departures 1-2
Passenger numbers up 7% to 1.04m for first half of 2025 at Shannon Airport
shannon airport fencing 2
Shannon Airport install new security fencing following recent breaches
1 DSC_9466
'There's no way we're not going to go again' - O'Donnell says no decisions made but exits from Clare camp unlikely
Killaloe-bridge
Trial pedestrianisation period announced for Killaloe to Ballina Bridge
brendan o'mara
Two Gardaí working full-time on case of €10m drug seizure involving Meelick ex Ryanair pilot
Premium
monaghan v clare 29-06-25 roisin considine jennifer duffy 1
Monaghan make their mark & send Clare out of ladies football championship
éire óg v doora barefield 29-06-25 cusack cup 1
Éire Óg win Cusack Cup for second time with dominant extra time display
waterford v clare minor 28-06-25 liam murphy gearoid o'shea james o'donnell 1
Déise deserving winners over Clare in All-Ireland minor final
tipperary v clare camogie 28-06-25 niamh costigan roisin begley 1
Tipp thump Clare but Carmody's charges still have All-Ireland quarter-final to look forward to
laurel lodge 07-11-23 3
Laurel Lodge resident further remanded in custody for alleged assault of retired judge

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Advertisement