{"id":662418,"date":"2026-10-22T20:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T20:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/662418\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T20:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T20:24:10","slug":"shortlist-announced-for-the-an-post-irish-book-awards-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/662418\/","title":{"rendered":"Shortlist announced for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The shortlist for the 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards <\/a>has been announced, featuring writers and illustrators across 19 categories as the awards mark their 21st anniversary.<\/p>\n

Shortlisted authors include Maggie O’Farrell, Louise Kennedy, Djamel White, Donal Ryan, Sebastian Barry, John Boyne, Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn, Liz Nugent, Nikita Hand, Sally Hayden, Vincent Browne, Ciara Mageean, James McClean, Katriona O\u2019Sullivan, Paul Howard and Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed.<\/p>\n

The categories span fiction, history, biography, non-fiction, lifestyle, sport, crime fiction, children\u2019s books, teen and young adult literature, Irish-language fiction, poetry and short stories.<\/p>\n

The awards recognise books and their creators across established and emerging areas of Irish writing, with the overall Book of the Year selected from six finalists.<\/p>\n

This year’s shortlist includes Maggie O’Farrell\u2019s Land and Louise Kennedy\u2019s Stations in both the Eason Novel of the Year and Last Word Listeners\u2019 Choice Award categories.<\/p>\n

\"N\/A\"
\nNominees Eva Pau, Paul Howard and Karen Harte<\/p>\n

Djamel White\u2019s All Them Dogs appears in the Novel of the Year and Newcomer of the Year categories, with Sally Hayden and Doireann N\u00ed Ghr\u00edofa are both shortlisted for Non-Fiction Book of the Year and Author\/Illustrator of the Year – Hayden for This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World, and N\u00ed Ghr\u00edofa for Said the Dead. <\/p>\n

The biography and sports categories include several autobiographical works, including Talk to Joe: Life, Liveline and Me by Joe Duffy, Home Economics: A Memoir by Caitr\u00edona Lally and Not the Perfect Victim by Nikita Hand with Kathryn Rogers.<\/p>\n

The sports shortlist features My Greatest Race by Ciara Mageean with Cl\u00edona Foley, All In by Peter O’Mahony with Dion Fanning, The Walls by James McClean with Daniel McDonnell, and Zeebs: My Autobiography by Simon Zebo with Gerry Thornley.<\/p>\n

\"N\/A\"
\nNominees John Boyne, Emily Hourican and Myles Dungan<\/p>\n

The biography category also includes John McGahern: A Writing Life by Frank Shovlin, No One Tells You: The Last Years of Edna O\u2019Brien by Carlo G\u00e9bler and Charles Haughey: Glory, Greed and Guns by Vincent Browne.<\/p>\n

The children’s categories feature separate Junior and Senior shortlists, with eight titles in each category – the selections include picture books, illustrated fiction, adventure stories and books exploring Irish history.<\/p>\n

The Junior shortlist includes Paddy Donnelly’s The Upside-Down Lighthouse, Patricia Forde\u2019s Letters to a Giant and Peter Donnelly\u2019s I Am Not a Dog, while the Senior shortlist features Deerheart by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch, and Millie McCarthy and the Doggy Daycare Drama by Leona Forde, illustrated by Karen Harte.<\/p>\n

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Convention Centre Dublin on Tuesday, 1 December.<\/p>\n

\"N\/A\"
\nNominees Ellen Ryan and Karen Harte<\/p>\n

The overall An Post Irish Book Awards Book of the Year 2026 will be revealed during a one-hour television programme hosted by Oliver Callan, broadcast on RT\u00c9 One on 10 December.<\/p>\n

Public voting opens at 7pm on Thursday, 22 October, and closes at 6pm on Friday, 13 November. Voters can select their favourite books through the awards website<\/a> and will be entered into a draw to win one of five \u20ac100 National Book Tokens.<\/p>\n

The Best Short Story and Best Poetry categories continue their partnership with the Irish Independent\u2019s New Irish Writing competition. All eight shortlisted writers across the two categories will receive support from the Irish Writers Centre through mentoring, courses and membership.<\/p>\n

The An Post Irish Book Awards 2026 Shortlist, in full:<\/p>\n

Eason Novel of the Year<\/p>\n

Land \u2013 Maggie O’Farrell (Tinder Press)<\/p>\n

Stations \u2013 Louise Kennedy (Bloomsbury Circus)<\/p>\n

All Them Dogs \u2013 Djamel White (John Murray)<\/p>\n

Where Are the Kings \u2013 Donal Ryan (Doubleday)<\/p>\n

Other People\u2019s Lives \u2013 Kathleen MacMahon (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

The Newer World \u2013 Sebastian Barry (Faber & Faber)<\/p>\n

Few and Far Between \u2013 Jan Carson (Doubleday)<\/p>\n

The Weight of Angels \u2013 John Boyne (Doubleday)<\/p>\n

TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year<\/p>\n

Seeing What\u2019s Hidden \u2013 Manch\u00e1n Magan (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

The Story of Us: Independent Ireland and the 1926 Census – Edited by Orlaith McBride and John Gibney (Irish Academic Press)<\/p>\n

Irish Sport in 100 Objects \u2013 Siobh\u00e1n Doyle (Merrion Press)<\/p>\n

An Asylum for My Affections \u2013 Sketches of Maeve Brennan \u2013 Edited by Molly Hennigan (New Island Books)<\/p>\n

A Letter Home – Kerby A. Miller and Breand\u00e1n Mac Suibhne (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

Birdstyle \u2013 Gordon D\u2019Arcy (Dingle Publishing)<\/p>\n

Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year<\/p>\n

The Plot Against Ireland \u2013 Myles Dungan (Apollo)<\/p>\n

The Story of Us: Independent Ireland and the 1926 Census – Edited by Orlaith McBride and John Gibney (Irish Academic Press)<\/p>\n

A History of Ireland in 100 Stamps \u2013 Max Barrett (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n

A Rebel and a Traitor \u2013 Rory Carroll (HarperNonFiction)<\/p>\n

Catalpa \u2013 Michael B. Barry (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

The Fallen: The Magdalene Laundries and Ireland\u2019s Legacy of Silence \u2013 Louise Brangan (Vintage Publishing)<\/p>\n

Dubray Biography of the Year<\/p>\n

Home Economics: A Memoir \u2013 Caitr\u00edona Lally (New Island Books)<\/p>\n

John McGahern: A Writing Life \u2013 Frank Shovlin (Faber & Faber)<\/p>\n

No One Tells You: The Last Years of Edna O\u2019Brien \u2013 Carlo G\u00e9bler (New Island Books)<\/p>\n

Charles Haughey: Glory, Greed and Guns \u2013 Vincent Browne (Eriu)<\/p>\n

Talk to Joe: Life, Liveline and Me \u2013 Joe Duffy (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

A Bigger Life \u2013 Louise O\u2019Neill (HarperCollins)<\/p>\n

Not the Perfect Victim \u2013 Nikita Hand with Kathryn Rogers (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

Se\u00e1n Lemass: The Lost Memoir \u2013 Edited by Ronan McGreevy (Eriu)<\/p>\n

Irish Book Week Non-Fiction Book of the Year<\/p>\n

Said the Dead \u2013 Doireann N\u00ed Ghr\u00edofa (Faber and Faber)<\/p>\n

The Most Normal Woman: Essays on Appearances \u2013 Rois\u00edn Kiberd (Tramp Press)<\/p>\n

Opening Night \u2013 Sara Baume (Granta Books)<\/p>\n

This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World \u2013 Sally Hayden (4th Estate)<\/p>\n

A Sheepdog Named Oscar \u2013 Dara Waldron (Simon & Schuster)<\/p>\n

A Hosting: Interviews with Irish Writers 1991\u2013 2026 \u2013 Martin Doyle (The Lilliput Press)<\/p>\n

Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year<\/p>\n

Best of Ireland \u2013 Cassie Stokes (DK Books)<\/p>\n

Sophie\u2019s Swaps Homemade Wins \u2013 Sophie Morris (DK Books)<\/p>\n

Finding Joy \u2013 Dearbhla Mescal (Eriu)<\/p>\n

Happy, Thank You. More, Please: How I got grateful, stayed mortified, and learned to trust the universe \u2013 Kyla Cobbler (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

Eva Pau\u2019s Asian Cookbook \u2013 Eva Pau (Murdoch Books)<\/p>\n

Now You Are Wonderful: A Celebration of Age, Freedom and Wisdom \u2013 Mary Kennedy (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

Eason Sports Book of the Year<\/p>\n

My Greatest Race \u2013 Ciara Mageean with Cl\u00edona Foley (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

All In \u2013 Peter O\u2019Mahony with Dion Fanning (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

The Lost Sportswriter \u2013 Vincent Hogan (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

Mackey and Ring \u2013 Arthur James O\u2019Dea (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

The Walls \u2013 James McClean with Daniel McDonnell (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

Zeebs: My Autobiography \u2013 Simon Zebo with Gerry Thornley (Eriu)<\/p>\n

The Last Word Listeners\u2019 Choice Award<\/p>\n

Stations \u2013 Louise Kennedy (Bloomsbury Circus)<\/p>\n

Land \u2013 Maggie O\u2019Farrell (Tinder Press)<\/p>\n

Experts in a Dying Field \u2013 Patrick Freyne (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

Be Like the Sea \u2013 Marie Gleeson with Orlaith Carmody (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

White Lines \u2013 Ryan Caldwell with Peter Lockhart (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach \u2013 Gary Murphy (Eriu)<\/p>\n

Hungry: A Biography of My Body \u2013 Katriona O\u2019Sullivan (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

Imitation Games: How Gambling Hijacked Sport \u2013 Darragh McGee (Vintage Publishing)<\/p>\n

Library Association of Ireland Author \/ Illustrator of the Year<\/p>\n

Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn \u2013 The News from Dublin (Picador)<\/p>\n

Doireann N\u00ed Ghr\u00edofa \u2013 Said the Dead (Faber and Faber)<\/p>\n

Liz Nugent \u2013 The Truth About Ruby Cooper (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

Paddy Donnelly The Upside-Down Lighthouse (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n

P.J. Lynch \u2013 Deerheart (Walker)<\/p>\n

Sally Hayden \u2013 This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World (4th Estate)<\/p>\n

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year<\/p>\n

All Them Dogs \u2013 Djamel White (John Murray)<\/p>\n

Esther is Now Following You \u2013 Tanya Sweeney (Bantam)<\/p>\n

The Visit \u2013 Neil Tully (Eriu)<\/p>\n

The Ballad of Ronan McCoy \u2013 Colin Morgan (HarperCollins)<\/p>\n

Wild Iris \u2013 Ruth McKee (Dedalus Ireland)<\/p>\n

Somewhere \u2013 Jessamine O\u2019Connor (The Lilliput Press)<\/p>\n

The Lies Between Us \u2013 Jen Bray (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

Dirtpickers \u2013 Edie May Hand (Manilla)<\/p>\n

The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year in association with The Irish Independent<\/p>\n

The Truth About Ruby Cooper \u2013 Liz Nugent (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

Everything She Didn\u2019t Say \u2013 Jane Casey (Hemlock Press)<\/p>\n

One of Us Is Guilty \u2013 Steve Cavanagh (Headline)<\/p>\n

Such a Nice Girl \u2013 Andrea Mara (Bantam)<\/p>\n

In Glass Houses \u2013 Edel Coffey (Sphere)<\/p>\n

The Keeper \u2013 Tana French (Viking)<\/p>\n

Never to be Found \u2013 Jo Spain (Zaffre)<\/p>\n

If These Walls Could Talk \u2013 Michelle McDonagh (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

WHSmith Popular Fiction Book of the Year in association with Ireland AM<\/p>\n

A Nation Once Again \u2013 Paul Howard (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

The Expectation \u2013 A. O\u2019Connor (Andrew O\u2019Connor) (Poolbeg Press)<\/p>\n

Love Scene \u2013 Anna Carey (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n

Our Deadly Summer \u2013 Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Bloomsbury Publishing)<\/p>\n

The Mini Breakers \u2013 Lucy Kennedy (Eriu)<\/p>\n

Love Unlocked \u2013 Cecelia Ahern (HarperFiction)<\/p>\n

A Plot to Die For \u2013 Ardal O\u2019Hanlon (Simon & Schuster)<\/p>\n

Anywhere But Here \u2013 Vicki Notaro (Sandycove)<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Book of the Year – Junior<\/p>\n

The Upside-Down Lighthouse \u2013 Paddy Donnelly (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n

Letters to a Giant \u2013 Patricia Forde, illustrated by Sarah Warburton (Bloomsbury Children\u2019s Books)<\/p>\n

I Am Not a Dog \u2013 Peter Donnelly (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

Swim, Little Otter \u2013 Tom McCaughren and Erika McGann, illustrated by Shannon Bergin (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n

Rabbit and Bear: The Bog of Frogs \u2013 Julian Gough, illustrated by Jim Field (Orchard Books)<\/p>\n

The Starmaker \u2013 Catherine Doyle, illustrated by Paddy Donnelly (Bloomsbury Children\u2019s Books)<\/p>\n

Little Passenger \u2013 Deirdre Sullivan, illustrated by Jessica Love (Walker Books)<\/p>\n

An Peata is Fearr \u2013 Patricia Forde, illustrated by Philip Cullen (Futa Fata)<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Book of the Year \u2013 Senior<\/p>\n

Deerheart \u2013 Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch (Walker)<\/p>\n

Millie McCarthy and the Doggy Daycare Drama \u2013 Leona Forde, illustrated by Karen Harte (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

Minotaur Boy – Shane Hegarty, illustrated by Ruby Fresson (DK Books)<\/p>\n

Murder at the Ivy Hotel \u2013 Emily Hourican (Scholastic)<\/p>\n

Nina Peanut: Major Drama Alert (Book 4) \u2013 Sarah Bowie (Scholastic)<\/p>\n

A Timeline of Irish History \u2013 Myles Dungan, illustrated by Sol Linero (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

Death Before Detention \u2013 Alison Weatherby, illustrated by Ellen Porteus (Macmillan Children\u2019s Books)<\/p>\n

Epic Ireland \u2013 Kieran Fanning, illustrated by Alice Guidi (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

International Education Services Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy<\/p>\n

Effie is Offline \u2013 Karen Harte (Gill Books)<\/p>\n

Shorelines \u2013 Ruth Ennis (Little Island Books)<\/p>\n

Runaway Road \u2013 Sue Divin (First Ink)<\/p>\n

Her Hidden Fire \u2013 Cl\u00edodhna O\u2019Sullivan (Penguin)<\/p>\n

They Called Us Witch \u2013 Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Imogen Oh and Anastasia Stefurak (Harper Fire)<\/p>\n

From the Top, Sally Flynn \u2013 M\u00e9abh Collins (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n

Just Another Dead Boy \u2013 Kelly McCaughrain (Walker Books)<\/p>\n

Tom Burne Has Left the Chat \u2013 Se\u00e1n Farrelly (Faber Children\u2019s)<\/p>\n

Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana<\/p>\n

Faraor G\u00e9ar n\u00e1r Cailleadh M\u00e9 – Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile (Cl\u00f3 lar-Chonnacht)<\/p>\n

R\u00fana\u00ed an Aire – Brian \u00d3 Tiom\u00e1in (Cl\u00f3 lar-Chonnacht)<\/p>\n

Eoghan B\u00e9al – Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed, eala\u00edn le Al\u00e9 Mercado (Leabhar Breac)<\/p>\n

S\u00ed – Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Muireag\u00e1in (\u00c9abhl\u00f3id)<\/p>\n

An Cl\u00e1irseoir – Diarmuid Johnson (Leabhar Breac)<\/p>\n

New Irish Writing Best Short Story in association with The Irish Independent<\/p>\n

Starfish Don\u2019t Have Bodies \u2013 Fiona Ennis<\/p>\n

Burnt \u2013 Jacinta Cogan<\/p>\n

Carlos \u2013 Eamon O\u2019Riordan<\/p>\n

A Day in the Life \u2013 Ben Dillon<\/p>\n

New Irish Writing Best Poetry in association with The Irish Independent<\/p>\n

‘Abundance\u2019 and \u2018The Trouble with Home\u2019 \u2013 Noel Howley<\/p>\n

\u2018Mother \/ Father\u2019 and \u2018The Gift of Snow\u2019 \u2013 John Kenny<\/p>\n

\u2018Bring Up\u2019 \u2013 Emma Beard<\/p>\n

\u2018Rhiannon\u2019 and \u2018The North\u2019 \u2013 Kevin Cahill<\/p>\n

An Post Bookshop of the Year (in alphabetical order)<\/p>\n

Bridge Books, Dromore, Co. Down<\/p>\n

Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, Galway<\/p>\n

O’Mahony’s Booksellers, Limerick<\/p>\n

Tales for Tadpoles, Bray, Co. Wicklow<\/p>\n

The Book Centre, Waterford<\/p>\n

Woodbine Books, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Irish Book Awards here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The shortlist for the 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards has been announced, featuring writers and illustrators across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60],"class_list":["post-662418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}