Cullen, Arts Council congratulate Barry

Minister for Arts Martin Cullen and the Arts Council have paid tribute to Irish author Sebastian Barry, whose novel The Secret Scripturehas won the Costa Book of the Year Award.

The Secret Scripturetells the story of Roseanne McNulty who, while obviously not insane, has spent most of her adult life at Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital. Approaching what may or may not be her 100th birthday, she faces an uncertain future as the hospital prepares to close.

Over the weeks leading up to the move, the twists and turns of her life are revealed through the journals of Roseanne - whose character Barry said he based on his great-aunt - and her psychiatrist Dr Grene.  The reader gradually learns of Roseanne's youth during the Civil War in Sligo, her subsequent decline and eventual committal to the hospital.

The Secret Scripture, which won the £5,000 Costa Prize for Fiction earlier this month, was picked for the Costa Book of the Year prize from a shortlist of five category winners.

Barry accepted the £25,000 (€27,000) prize at a black-tie dinner in London's InterContinental Hotel last night. "It's a real happiness," he said. "I feel excited for the character in the book because it's such a hidden story, these women who were put away." 

Chairman of the judges Matthew Parris revealed that the novel narrowly defeated Adam Foulds' book of verse about the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya in the 1950s, The Broken Word.

Mr Parris said Barry won despite the judges feeling the ending of his book was flawed. "Almost nobody liked the ending," he said.

Defending the book's close, Barry, who based Roseanne's character on his great-aunt, said it was an attempt to rescue Roseanne from the cold hand of history. "The ending was my attempt to recompense her," he said. "It's a secret between me and the character."

Minister Cullen said the award was a "wonderful personal accomplishment" for Barry. "The award is due recognition for the incredible talent and creativity that has been fostered by the Irish literary community," Mr Cullen said.

Sarah Bannan, head of literature at the Arts Council, described The Secret Scriptureas an "exquisite and compelling" novel and said Barry was a "gifted" novelist, poet and dramatist.

"The award is richly deserved for this lyric and dramatic novel and in recognition of Barry's unwavering commitment to the craft of writing," she said. "Barry is a writer who connects with his readers, and while his work speaks of history, it speaks perhaps more forcefully of humanity."

Ms Bannan said the award to Barry, who has received a number of grants from the Art Council in the past, was proof that investment in the artistic community has borne fruit.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Eibhlin Byrne said The Secret Scripturewas a "haunting book which evokes very sensitively distant memories for many families" while Fine Gael's arts spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said Barry's win "highlights the depth of talent in Ireland's literary community and the continuing need to aid writers".

The Secret Scripturewas shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize last October but lost out to Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger.

The Costa award, which recognizes the most enjoyable books by writers from the UK and Ireland is sure to lead to a lucrative boost in sales. Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread, Costa took over the sponsorship of the prize in 2006.

Barry, who was born in Dublin in 1955, lives in Wicklow with his wife and three children. His previous novel A Long Long Way, was also shortlisted for the Man Booker award and Dublin International Impac Prize.