The award, administered by The American Friends of James Joyce, is given in memory of the late Veronica Lally Kehoe by her husband, Jack Kehoe.

The Bloomsday event celebrates James Joyce's masterpiece, "Ulysses." The work is hailed by some as the greatest work of fiction in the English language, and its author, as the greatest writer since Shakespeare. "Ulysses" takes place all on one day — June 16, 1904 ("Bloomsday") — in Dublin, and tells the story of Leopold Bloom, an Everyman whose exploits are compared to those of Ulysses, the great hero of Homer's Odyssey.

O'Reilly is producing director of the Irish Repertory Theatre, where Charlotte Moore is artistic director. They are the resident Equity troupe's co-founders. Irish Rep is devoted to classics of the Irish and Irish-American stage, plus new works.

James Rice, president of the American Friends, said, "I look forward to presenting Ciaran and Charlotte with the Veronica Lally Kehoe Award for Cultural Achievement. I know that Veronica would be very pleased and proud to see this award is given to two individuals who have worked so tirelessly to promote Irish arts in America."

The Bloomsday Awards Celebration will be held at the Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York (adjacent to Grand Central Station). The event will commence at 6:30 PM for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, followed by presentations to Moore and O'Reilly and their fellow honoree, the distinguished actor Milo O'Shea. *

The American Friends of James Joyce promotes reading groups for adults and the "James Joyce in the High Schools Program," which introduces high school students to the reading and analysis of short stories in Joyce's collection, "Dubliners."

The American Friends has also assisted the James Joyce Centre, Dublin, which was founded by members of the author's family, in its endeavors to promote Joyce and Irish culture.