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Liam Donnelly (retail manager) and Tony Hayes (bookstore manager) of Hodges Figgis Bookshop, Dawson St., Dublin, joint winners of The O\u2019Brien Press Bookseller of the Year Award. Photograph: Aoife \/ Aidona Photography <\/p>\n
Liam Donnelly (retail manager) and Tony Hayes (bookstore manager) of Hodges Figgis Bookshop, Dawson St., Dublin, have been named this year\u2019s joint winners of The O\u2019Brien Press Bookseller of the Year Award. The announcement was made by Ivan O\u2019Brien, managing director, The O\u2019Brien Press at the annual Irish Book Trade conference, held by Bookselling Ireland & Publishing Ireland, at The Tower Hotel, Waterford. <\/p>\n
They are the 32nd recipients of The O\u2019Brien Press Bookseller of the Year Award, presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement or an invaluable contribution to the book trade by an individual bookseller. Winners are presented with The Elements, a bronze perpetual trophy sculpted by Rowan Gillespie, and a framed commemorative certificate.<\/p>\n
Donnelly and Hayes have decades of experience before managing Dublin\u2019s oldest bookshop. Donnelly worked for Eason, and had his own specialist bookshop, The Alchemist\u2019s Head, before returning to the historic bookshop. Hayes has been a staple of Irish bookselling since the 1970s, with Bookstop in D\u00fan Laoghaire, and his own bookshop, Wordsworth. Together, the pair saw Hodges Figgis through its 250-years celebration, as well a significant refit, making sure that the shop continues to retain its individual charm under the Waterstones umbrella. <\/p>\n
Ivan O\u2019Brien, managing director, The O\u2019Brien Press, said: \u201cLiam Donnelly and Tony Hayes have a huge responsibility in managing an iconic bookshop. Hodges Figgis is over 250 years old and is mentioned in both Ulysses and Normal People, it\u2019s part of the Waterstones group but maintains a unique identity, and carries a huge range across many categories. It\u2019s hard to walk past without walking in, and very hard to walk in without buying a bag full of books. <\/p>\n
\u201cLiam and Tony have huge experience and knowledge: both ran their own bookshops and have worked in many roles in the book world, for companies big and small. They have a gut-level understanding of what makes a great bookshop, and constantly strive to be the best. They are always happy to engage with customers, staff and publishers, and are not scared of change and innovation: worthy winners indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Dublin-based author Amelia Doyle has won in the Romance category of the Canadian Book Club Awards 2025 for her book, Two Weeks in Toronto.<\/p>\n
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Irish author Chloe Walsh\u2019s series, Boys of Tommen, is to be adapted by Poppy Cogan (A Good Girl\u2019s Guide to Murder) for Amazon Prime, backed by the producers of The Summer I Turned Pretty, One Day and Twilight. The series, which follows teens in a private school in Cork, is a BookTok sensation.<\/p>\n
Series one, based on Walsh\u2019s Binding 13 and Keeping 13, is the love story of Johnny Kavanagh, a star rugby player, and Shannon Lynch, a talented but painfully shy new girl at the prestigious Tommen College in Ballylaggin.<\/p>\n
Walsh said: \u201cThe response from readers around the world has been overwhelming, and knowing that everyone behind this production and book shares my passion for telling this story authentically means the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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23\/11\/2022 – TICKET – CHILDRENS LAUREATE.
Aine N\u00ed Ghlinn who is the children\u2019s laureate, with some irish language books, also in picture is Ruth N\u00ed Eidhin, project manager and some students at Scoil Naithi in Ballinteer , Dublin.
Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill \/ The Irish Times
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The inauguration of the 2026 Oireachtas na Gaeilge President, \u00c1ine N\u00ed Ghlinn, took place this week at a ceremony in the Hilton Hotel, Dublin. She officially commenced her term of office following the presentation of the Chain of Office, in the presence of fellow writers, family members, and friends.<\/p>\n
Originally from Tipperary, N\u00ed Ghlinn has lived in Dublin for many years, where she has become a prominent figure in literary circles, particularly through her work for young readers. A highly prolific writer, her contribution to literature for young people was recognised with her appointment as Youth Laureate for Ireland from 2020 to 2023, making her the first Irish-language author to hold this prestigious role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish \u00c1ine every joy and success in her role as the 2026 Oireachtas President,\u201d said M\u00e1ir\u00edn Nic Dhonnchadha, CEO of An tOireachtas. \u201c\u00c1ine\u2019s contribution to Irish literature across poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and drama is invaluable. A loyal and dedicated supporter of An tOireachtas over many years, her influence on young readers and emerging writers has been profound. We are honoured that \u00c1ine is commencing her term as President today, and we know that she will be an outstanding ambassador in the year ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two Irish-language novels, R\u00fana\u00ed an Aire by Brian \u00d3 Tiom\u00e1in and Cairdeas & Cogadh by \u00c1ine N\u00ed Ghlinn, will be launched at Halla Chonradh na Gaeilge, Grattan Crescent, Inchicore, on Thursday, March 5th, at 7.15pm, as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge.<\/p>\n
The authors will speak with writer Anna Heussaff about their creative processes and the themes of their new works. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and purchase signed copies. Light refreshments will be provided.<\/p>\n
R\u00fana\u00ed an Aire is a contemporary novel exploring power, politics, and personal relationships. Cairdeas & Cogadh is a children\u2019s novel for readers aged 9\u201312 and explores friendship, identity, and acceptance of difference. Both are published by Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, An Spid\u00e9al, Conamara. <\/p>\n
The event is organised with support from Conradh na Gaeilge, Craobh Inse Ch\u00f3r, and funding from Foras na Gaeilge and the Arts Council.<\/p>\n
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This year\u2019s Women\u2019s Prize for Non-Fiction longlist \u2013 chosen by Thangam Debbonaire (chair), Roma Agrawal, Nicola Elliott, Nina Stibbe and Nicola Williams \u2013 features seven debuts and spans politics, memoir, science, history, biography and art.<\/p>\n
The longlisted titles are: Daughtersof the Bamboo Grove: China\u2019s Stolen Children and a Story of Separated Twins by Barbara Demick; The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People\u2019s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet; Don\u2019t Let It Break You, Honey: A Memoir About Saving Yourself by Jenny Evans; Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt; With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works for Everyone and How We Can Make It Work Better by Lady Hale; To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Creativity and Race in the21st Century by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason; Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The lives and loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell; Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage by Deepa Paul; Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry; The Genius of Trees: How Trees Mastered the Elements and Shaped the World by Harriet Rix; Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska; Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy; Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain by Zakia Sewell; To Exist As I Am: A Doctor\u2019s Notes on Recovery and Radical Acceptance by Grace Spence Green; Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran; Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi <\/p>\n
Thangam Debbonaire, Chair of Judges, said: \u201cThe books on this hopeful longlist are rigorous and researched, lyrical and flowing. They are drawn together by the originality and skill with which they have been written. This reading list carries relevance and truth for the future as well as holding significant value for the present day \u2013 the books spark curiosity and demand attention; they are for everyone navigating the complicated and unpredictable world we are living in. The voices of these 16 remarkable women need to be heard \u2013 loud and clear.\u201d <\/p>\n
The shortlist will be announced on March 25th. The 2026 Women\u2019s Prize for Fiction longlist will be announced on March 4th and the shortlist on April 22nd. Winners of both prizes will be revealed on June 11th.<\/p>\n
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Four Irish creators have made this year\u2019s longlist for The Carnegies, the UK\u2019s longest running and best loved book awards for children and young people, unique in being judged by librarians. <\/p>\n
Fia and the Last Snow Deer, a tale of prehistoric Ireland written by Eilish Fisher and illustrated by Dermot Flynn, is the only book in both the Writing & Illustration category. Flynn is also shortlisted for the illustrations on an Irish folklore anthology, The Faerie Isle written by Sine Quinn. Steve McCarthy and Clara Kumagai are also on the longlists, McCarthy for his bold illustrations in Eoin Colfer\u2019s Beanie the Bansheenie, and Kumagai on the Writing longlist for her YA tale of longing and heartbreak inspired by Puccini\u2019s Madame Butterfly, Songs for Ghosts. <\/p>\n
British talent features strongly on the Medal for Writing longlist, with identity a standout theme explored through class, family, and relationships, and history emerging as a popular tool to reflect on the present. A notable collection of funny books also makes a joyous addition to both longlists.<\/p>\n
International illustrators dominate the Medal for Illustration longlist, featuring stories of wild journeys and human connections told through innovative illustration techniques, emotive colour palettes, and a beautiful variety of styles. <\/p>\n
The Medal for Writing includes five previous winners: Anne Fine, Patrick Ness, Jason Reynolds, Katya Balen \u2013 and Tia Fisher who won the Shadowers\u2019 Choice award in 2024.<\/p>\n
Contrastingly, the Medal for Illustration features a fresh line up of 17 artists longlisted for the very first time, with only Steve McCarthy and Kate Rolfe achieving prior shortlistings. <\/p>\n
The shortlist will be announced on March 10th at London Book Fair; the winners at the Cambridge Theatre on June 23rd.<\/p>\n
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Rosa Mulholland (1841-1921) was one of Ireland\u2019s foremost woman writers of fiction and her work was once widely taught in Irish schools. She was a passionate advocate for women\u2019s roles as reforming landlords, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders of an Irish revival, one of Ireland\u2019s first town councillors, and influential on younger writers, including WB Yeats and Katharine Tynan. <\/p>\n
Not that you would know any of this from her tombstone, which states that she was \u2018wife of the above\u2019, the \u2018above\u2019 being the historian John T Gilbert, to whom she was married for the last seven years of his life. Her work was largely forgotten until the republication by Swan River Press of her story collection Not To Be Taken At Bed-Time, and on Sunday, February 15th at 6pm on RT\u00c9 lyric fm Sara Lodge of the University of St Andrews tells the story of Rosa Mulholland in Wanted, an Irish Novelist.<\/p>\n
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Getting to read your work in front of literary agents and receive feedback is invaluable so it\u2019s no surprise First Page Pitch has become an integral part of Cork World Book Fest\u2019s Get Published Day. Every year, just 10 writers are selected from dozens of entries to pitch their work, moderated by Get Published co-ordinator Vanessa Fox O\u2019Loughlin, in Cork City Library. <\/p>\n
Patricia Looney, senior executive librarian in Cork City Libraries, said, \u201cWriters are hungry for any insights that will help them to improve their work and get their book to readers. That\u2019s why this event is so important for us to include in our festival. We\u2019re also proud that several pitchers have gone on to become published authors because of it. In recent years, we heard from Lynda Marron who got her publishing deal after meeting literary agent Polly Nolan, and Olivia Hope who is now published by Bloomsbury Children\u2019s Books. Who knows if one of this year\u2019s pitchers will return to future fests with their published book.\u201d<\/p>\n