{"id":671456,"date":"2026-11-01T05:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T05:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/671456\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T05:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T05:05:04","slug":"the-50-best-irish-language-books-of-the-century-so-far-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/671456\/","title":{"rendered":"The 50 best Irish-language books of the century so far \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The absence of any Irish-language<\/a> titles from last year\u2019s survey in The Irish Times of what Irish critics, writers and academics considered to be the 100 best works of Irish fiction of the century so far prompted a few Irish speakers to point out that it was limited to the best Irish fiction in English. <\/p>\n

While several selectors were native speakers who both read and write in Irish as well as in English, the majority were not, which placed Irish-language titles at a disadvantage, despite a flourishing Irish-language publishing industry, particularly serving younger readers. <\/p>\n

Today we present the results of a survey of 35 experts, whom we invited to list their 25 favourite titles in Irish published since 2000. <\/p>\n

Our colleague Cian Traynor painstakingly assembled a list of more than 400 works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, aimed at both children and adults, which served as an aide-memoire for our selectors, who were also free to nominate their own titles. The only caveat was that writers could not pick their own works, should modesty alone not forbid it. <\/p>\n

The result is an impressive list of 50 books, which should serve as an attractive reading list for readers keen to practise their Irish, familiarise themselves with an integral part of our literary culture, and expand their horizons. <\/p>\n

Irish prose writing, long the poor relation to poetry in Irish, is now thriving. Unlike poetry, it is seldom if ever translated into English, which shows the novels are being read in the original language. Many titles deal with historical themes as if the current revival of interest in Irish is leading to a revisiting of key periods in the language\u2019s changing fortunes. <\/p>\n

Regrettably, the list does not reflect the vibrancy of children\u2019s literature in Irish, such as Rita agus an tEachtr\u00e1n by M\u00e1ire Zepf, illustrated by Andrew Whitson \u2013 the best-selling Irish-language title this year, with more than 2,000 sales.<\/p>\n

Comhar, the Irish-language magazine, published its own list recently; our thanks to Tristan Rosenstock and Bridget Bhreathnach for their assistance. <\/p>\n

Madame Lazare by Tadhg Mac Dhonnag\u00e1in<\/a>, our winner, may well confound preconceptions about where fiction in Irish might be set: the Aran Islands, sure, but also London in the second World War, present-day Paris, and the Brussels of Irish-language translators.<\/p>\n

B\u00f3dl\u00e9ar by Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed was in second place, one of his three books in the top 50, just ahead of An Litir by Liam Mac C\u00f3il, the first of a swashbuckling historical trilogy, all of which make the list along with a fourth title. Biddy Jenkinson has four titles in the top 50, and Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile and Diarmuid Johnson three apiece.<\/p>\n

50Rince Aeir by Caitr\u00edona N\u00ed Chl\u00e9irch\u00edn (\u00c9abhl\u00f3id, 2024) \"Rince<\/p>\n

From Emyvale, Co Monaghan, N\u00ed Chl\u00e9irch\u00edn<\/a> is an Irish-language lecturer at Dublin City University. Her first collection, Crithloinnir, won first prize in the Oireachtas competition for new writers in 2010. An Bhr\u00eddeach S\u00ed, her second collection, won the Michael Hartnett Prize in 2015. This, her third, was nominated for the 2025 Gradam U\u00ed Sh\u00failleabh\u00e1in awards.<\/p>\n

49 Criss-Cross Mo Chara by Gear\u00f3id Mac Lochlainn (Clo Iar-Chonnacht, 2011)\"Criss-Cross<\/p>\n

Mac Lochlainn\u2019s beat-up anti-heroes are shape-shifters that hover between cultures. His characters flip a finger at traditions of Irish poetry, translation and storytelling. They leap back and forth, from Bardic to spaghetti westerns, from Mississippi blues to sean-n\u00f3s, weaving a journey that explores the creative process itself.<\/p>\n

48Bealach na Sp\u00e1inneach by Liam Mac C\u00f3il(Leabhar Breac, 2019)\"Bealach<\/p>\n

The final part of the L\u00fac\u00e1s \u00d3 Briain trilogy. In 1612, a gifted Galway student and swordsman is entrusted with an important letter to deliver to Aodh M\u00f3r \u00d3 N\u00e9ill, Earl of Tyrone, in Rome, where he is seeking the help of Philip of Spain. In pursuit is the enemy\u2019s most devious, brutal spy.<\/p>\n

47Dialann mo Mh\u00e1thar by P\u00e1draic Breathnach(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2018)\"Dialann<\/p>\n

Shortlisted for Gradam U\u00ed Sh\u00failleabh\u00e1in 2018, the Oireachtas na Gaeilge award for Irish-language book of the year, this novel<\/a> deals with marital infidelity, seen through the eyes of the couple\u2019s grown-up daughter, \u00c9abha, who finds her mother\u2019s old diary in the attic. <\/p>\n

46An Cl\u00e1irseoir by Diarmuid Johnson (Leabhar Breac, 2025)\"An<\/p>\n

\u201cAn Cl\u00e1irseoir (The Harpist) is a masterpiece that will, I am sure, be ranked among the great novels of the Irish language,\u201d wrote Prof M\u00e1ire N\u00ed Annrach\u00e1i. In 1169, a Norman force in Wales was preparing to invade Ireland. But why? This is their story, and ours.<\/p>\n

45 Filleann Seoirse by Eil\u00eds N\u00ed Anluain(Leabhar Breac, 2011)\"Filleann<\/p>\n

A lyrical, thoughtful debut novel set in a seaside town in contemporary Ireland. A young woman, L\u00eds, risks her life with husband Muiris and their young children by falling in love with their friend Seoirse after he moves in with them.<\/p>\n

44Fontenoy by Liam Mac C\u00f3il(Leabhar Breac, 2005)\"Fontenoy<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recreation of the world of the Irish soldiers of 250 years ago in their own language is a work of artistry of the first order. There is no other novelist in Irish today who writes with the same care, precision and clarity. The novel is a pleasure to read, and is a work of art,\u201d wrote Alan Titley in The Irish Times.<\/p>\n

43Diabhla\u00edocht D\u00e9 by Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2015)\"Diabhlaíocht<\/p>\n

These are mad stories, in which God plays tricks on humanity. Some stories have a biblical flavour, such as Lazarus and Judas Iscariot. Others might come from folklore or mythology: animals that have a talent for speech, and people who have animals as parents or spouses.<\/p>\n

42An Ghluaiseacht by R\u00f3n\u00e1n Mac Con Iomaire(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2024)\"An<\/p>\n

This is the history of the Gaeltacht Civil Rights Movement \u2013 the catalyst<\/a> for Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta, \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta and TG4 \u2013 from its inception in 1969 in Teach Furbo, Connemara, to its gradual demise in the late 1970s. The angry, energetic movement provides fascinating material. Mac an Iomaire writes like a novelist, ensuring the history is riveting.<\/p>\n

41Sliocht ar Th\u00edr na Sc\u00e1th by Breand\u00e1n \u00d3 Doibhlin (Coisce\u0301im, 2018)\"Sliocht<\/p>\n

A priest from Co Tyrone, \u00d3 Doibhlin<\/a> (1931-2023) set this, his third novel, in a bardic school in his native county, celebrating its rich Gaelic heritage. However, he was also a professor of French influenced by France\u2019s literary tradition, wrestling with large subjects such as the meaning of life, forgiveness, identity and homeland.<\/p>\n

40A Bhean \u00d3g \u00d3n … by M\u00e1ire Mhac an tSaoi(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2001)\"A<\/p>\n

M\u00e1ire Mhac an tSaoi,<\/a> the daughter of 1916 revolutionary Se\u00e1n McEntee, was best known for her modernist Irish poetry, However, A Bhean \u00d3g \u00d3n… is a novella about the relationship between Piaras Feirit\u00e9ar, the 17th-century Kerry poet, clan chief and folk hero, and Meg Russell, for whom he composed some of the greatest love poetry.<\/p>\n

39S\u00e1irs\u00e9al agus Dill 1947\u20131981 by Cian \u00d3 h\u00c9igeartaigh agus Aoileann Nic Gearailt (Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2014)\"Sáirséal<\/p>\n

The children of Se\u00e1n S\u00e1irs\u00e9al \u00d3 h\u00c9igeartaigh and Br\u00edd N\u00ed Mhaoileoin, the founders of S\u00e1irs\u00e9al agus Dill, recount the history of the pioneering publisher, whose titles included M\u00e1irt\u00edn \u00d3 Cadhain\u2019s Cr\u00e9 na Cille and the poetry of Se\u00e1n \u00d3 R\u00edord\u00e1in and M\u00e1ire Mhac an tSaoi. <\/p>\n

38I dT\u00edr Strains\u00e9artha by Liam Mac C\u00f3il(Leabhar Breac, 2014)\"I<\/p>\n

The second book in Mac C\u00f3il\u2019s historical fiction trilogy tells the story of gifted swordsman L\u00facas, who is entrusted with an important letter to be delivered into the hands of Aodh M\u00f3r \u00d3 N\u00e9ill, Earl of Tyrone in Rome.<\/p>\n

37\u00d3lann mo Mhi\u00fail as an nGains\u00e9is by Gabriel Rosenstock (Cl\u00f3 Iar Connacht, 2003)\"Ólann<\/p>\n

Gabriel Rosenstock and his wife travel through Dubai, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Chile and the US, recounting their physical and spiritual journey. As well as a memoir, this book is peppered with haikus. <\/p>\n

36S\u00fail an Daill by Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed(Leabhar Breac, 2021)\"Súil<\/p>\n

Set in mid-16th century Gaelic Ulster, a region under growing threat from English forces, this historical fiction follows Conch\u00far Mac Ardail, a Machiavellian figure in the court of the 1st Earl of Tyrone. <\/p>\n

35Fiacha Fola by Celia de Fr\u00e9ine(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2004)\"Fiacha<\/p>\n

Fiacha Fola, or Blood Debts, is a collection of poems about the Hepatitis C scandal<\/a>, of which Celia de Fr\u00e9ine was a victim in 1977. Writing in The Irish Times<\/a> ahead of the release of its English translation, de Fr\u00e9ine said, \u201cOne reviewer of Fiacha Fola referred to my voice as angry. No doubt about it. I was livid.\u201d<\/p>\n

34Seacht dT\u00edr, Seacht dTeanga by Diarmuid Johnson(Leabhar Breac, 2021)\"Seacht<\/p>\n

Spanning Inverness to Bucharest, this travel book about language, featuring anecdotes from the Welsh-Irish writer, won the Oireachtas na Samhna prize for best prose in 2021.<\/p>\n

33C\u00e9 a Mharaigh Emma Mhic Mhath\u00fana? agus d\u00e1nta eile by Louis de Paor(\u00c9abhl\u00f3id, 2024)\"Cé<\/p>\n

A poetry collection about Irish speaker and activist Emma Mhic Mhath\u00fana<\/a>, who died in 2018. Her story first came to national attention after she explained live on Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta how she was one of the women affected by the CervicalCheck cancer scandal.<\/p>\n

32EL by Thaddeus \u00d3 Buachalla(Coisc\u00e9im, 2022)\"EL<\/p>\n

The 2022 Irish Language Book of the Year opens with Se\u00e1n, an Irish-language student, and his housemate Peadar, a physics student, who discover microscopic blue men crawling from the head of a crushed fly. In this speculative fiction, the discovery reveals a conspiracy that stretches from Galileo\u2019s revolutionary revelations to Brexit.<\/p>\n

31Saighdi\u00fair by Cathal \u00d3 Searcaigh(Leabhair Breac, 2023)\"Saighdiúir<\/p>\n

This anti-war novel follows Maiti\u00fa Mac Suibhne from Donegal, who enlists in the British army in the first World War with his friend Domhnall \u00d3 Gallch\u00f3ir, along with 200,000 other Irish men. <\/p>\n

30M\u00e9 Suibhne by Feargal \u00d3 B\u00e9arra(Leabhar Breac, 2021)\"Mé<\/p>\n

A retelling of the old Irish tale Buile Shuibhne, the Madness of Suibhne \u2013 a king who was driven insane by the curse of a saint \u2013 \u00d3 B\u00e9arra\u2019s version emphasises mental illness. <\/p>\n

29\u00d3 Ch\u00e9itinn go Raifteara\u00ed, Mar a cumadh stair na h\u00c9ireann by Vincent Morley(Coisc\u00e9im, 2011)\"Ó<\/p>\n

This academic work analyses and criticises the failure of historians to engage with and correctly situate Irish-language sources when writing about Ireland. Scattered in the text are five poems from the 1600s that show the growth of the Irish oral history tradition, one of which is Tuireamh na h\u00c9ireann. <\/p>\n

28O\u00edche Bhealtaine by Biddy Jenkinson(Coisc\u00e9im, 2005)\"Oíche<\/p>\n

O\u00edche Bhealtaine, or May Eve, which marks the start of the Irish summer, is one of eight volumes of poetry by Biddy Jenkinson with C\u00f3isc\u00e9im. The titular poem takes inspiration from a 9th-century poem about the tragic love story of L\u00edadaine agus Cuirithir. <\/p>\n

27An Cl\u00e9ireach by Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed(Leabhar Breac, 2007)\"An<\/p>\n

Set during the English Civil War and in the midst of the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland, An Cl\u00e9ireach takes places in north Munster in 1650, when a band of poets and soldier-scribes, heedless of the enemy\u2019s advance, spend the night storytelling and dreaming. <\/p>\n

26An Tionscadal by Tom\u00e1s Mac S\u00edom\u00f3in(Coisc\u00e9im, 2007)\"An<\/p>\n

A biology lecturer, Mac S\u00edom\u00f3in was also a prominent Irish language writer and Marxist who translated the Communist Manifesto into Irish. Our narrator is Daith\u00ed \u00d3 Gallch\u00f3ir, an Irish employee of a multinational pharmaceutical company in the Pyrenees. The novel won the Oireachtas literary award in 2007 for best novel. <\/p>\n

25Mainistir na Feola by Laoighseach N\u00ed Choistealbha(Barzaz, 2025)\"Mainistir<\/p>\n

Born in 1994 and raised in Donegal, poet Laoighseach N\u00ed Choistealbha followed her debut, Solas Geimhridh, with this collection, which deals with human rights, religion and the body. St Lucy and the Eye Doctor\/San Lu\u00edseach agus Lia na S\u00fal (Bloodaxe, 2027), her first Irish-English dual-language edition, with translator Ellen Corbett, draws on both collections as well as later work.<\/p>\n

24Solas Geimhridh by Laoighseach N\u00ed Choistealbha(Barzaz, 2023) \"Solas<\/p>\n

In her first poetry collection, the Donegal writer explores identity, the physicality of the body, and the power and connection of art in the volume. She won the Foras na Gaeilge Award at Listowel Writers\u2019 Week in 2023. <\/p>\n

23An Fear nach nD\u00e9anann G\u00e1ire by Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2003) \"An<\/p>\n

This absurdist and offbeat short story collection deals with the sadness of the deserted train station, a leg severed by a cannibal, and estate agents. <\/p>\n

22Imram agus sc\u00e9alta eile by R\u00f3ise N\u00ed Bhaoill(\u00c9abhl\u00f3id, 2022)\"Imram<\/p>\n

Perhaps best known for her work with Ultach, established in 1989 to promote the Irish language in the North, N\u00ed Bhaoil\u2019s debut collection of short stories won Irish Language Book of the Year. The anthology follows characters on journeys and deals with the theme of migration. <\/p>\n

21Gluaiseacht by Alan Titley(An G\u00fam, 2009)\"Gluaiseacht<\/p>\n

A first-person narrative fiction for young adults that begins in a part of Africa under threat of war. It is told from the perspective of a young man who ends up homeless on the unwelcoming streets of Europe. <\/p>\n

20Sa Teach Seo Anocht by Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2019)\"Sa<\/p>\n

A man is on the cusp of walking out on his failing marriage of 10 years as well as his young son. It takes place on the protagonist\u2019s final night in his ancestral home, where he and his family were born and reared. <\/p>\n

19An Gr\u00e1 Riabhach by Biddy Jenkinson(Coisc\u00e9im, 2000)\"An<\/p>\n

A short story collection dealing with themes of sexuality. The title could be translated as speckled, brindled, streaked, striped, wretched or dull love, every shade of which is explored across 18 stories. <\/p>\n

18Mis by Biddy Jenkinson(Binn \u00c9adair, 2001)\"Mis<\/p>\n

An epic poem about a mythological princess, who is driven mad with grief after witnessing the death of her father King D\u00e1ire D\u00f3idgheal, fleeing society to live in mourning as a cannibal. <\/p>\n

17Gabh\u00e1il Syrinx by Aifric Mac Aodha(An Sagart, 2010)\"Gabháil<\/p>\n

Mac Aodha\u2019s debut poetry collection, Gabh\u00e1il Syrinx or Capture of the Sphinx, edited by Irish-language scholar and priest P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Fiannachta, draws from Greek as well as Irish mythology. <\/p>\n

16An Colm B\u00e1n by Liam \u00d3 Muirthile(Cois Life, 2014)\"An<\/p>\n

Better known as a countercultural poet at the helm of the Innti literary movement, \u00d3 Muirithile also wrote prose. The final novel published before his death in 2018 is set in Paris, and explores the beginning of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st through two interwoven stories. <\/p>\n

15Oilithreach Pinn by Liam \u00d3 Muirthile(Cois Life, 2017)\"Oilithreach<\/p>\n

\u00d3 Muirithile\u2019s memoir of his 770km solo journey along the Camino de Santiago in 2015 gives an insight into what the Innti poet dubbed his \u201cpen pilgrimage\u201d. <\/p>\n

14Bl\u00e1th na dTulach: D\u00edolaim Ultach, edited by R\u00e9alt\u00e1n N\u00ed Leann\u00e1in, Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhr\u00edde and M\u00edche\u00e1l \u00d3 Domhnaill(\u00c9abhl\u00f3id, 2021)\"Bláth<\/p>\n

An anthology of 28 short stories by Ulster writers. Featuring Eithne N\u00ed Ghallchobhair, Iarla Mac Aodha Bhu\u00ed and Daith\u00ed \u00d3 Muir\u00ed, it won the U\u00ed Sh\u00failleabh\u00e1in award at the 2022 Oireachtas na Samhna. An audiobook version is available. <\/p>\n

13Ceallach: C\u00edn Lae F\u00edr\u00e9in: AD590-620 by Diarmuid Johnson(Trout Book, 2021) \"Ceallach:<\/p>\n

In 591, monks from Bangor, Co Down, led by St Columbanus, set out for the \u201coutskirts of Christianity\u201d to spread the word of God. Ceallach\u2019s diary details their adventures, including that of St Gall, who gave his name to Saint Gallen in Switzerland. <\/p>\n

12Hula Hul by Se\u00e1n Mac Math\u00fana(Leabhar Breac, 2007) \"Hula<\/p>\n

Mac Math\u00fana\u2019s bestselling romance novel recounts the dilemma faced by an IRA captain who refuses to carry out a vicious order in Kerry in 1923 during the Civil War.<\/p>\n

11Cn\u00e1mh by Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhr\u00edde(\u00c9abhl\u00f3id, 2020)\"Cnámh<\/p>\n

In Mac Giolla Bhr\u00edde\u2019s third collection of short stories, the Gaoith Dobhair writer chronicles vignettes of contemporary Irish society. Ailbhe N\u00ed Ghearbhuigh called it \u201ca rich and evocative collection of short stories that reveal the strange intensity of modern life\u201d.<\/p>\n

10An Craiceann agus a Luach by Eithne N\u00ed Ghallchobhair(Arlen House, 2021)\"An<\/p>\n

A bilingual book translated into English by Paddy Burke, An Craiceann agus a Luach\/Under Her Skin opens on a spring night when Mac Aoidh steals the shawl of a mermaid swimming in the bay, knowing she can never return to her own realm without it. The mermaid is imprisoned under his coercive control until an opportunity to escape arises. <\/p>\n

9An Bhlaosc sa mBois by Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2024)\"AnAn Bhlaosc sa mBois by Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile <\/p>\n

Taking place over the course of a day, this novella follows an elderly man as he crosses south Connemara with the skull of his baby sister. Perhaps he has dementia, perhaps he is delirious \u2013 as his aim is unclear. \u00d3 Conghaile explores death, faith, rural life, old age, rural depopulation, and mother and baby homes.<\/p>\n

8Tr\u00e9n bhFearann Breac by M\u00e1ir\u00edn Nic Eoin(Cois Life, 2005) \"Trén<\/p>\n

A critical work examining contemporary writing in Irish. Nic Eoin, professor emerita of Irish at DCU, explores how colonialism has affected both the literary content and critical treatment of modern Irish-language writing. <\/p>\n

7An tAthair P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Duinn\u00edn \u2013 Bleachtaire by Biddy Jenkinson(Coisc\u00e9im, 2008)\"An<\/p>\n

This anthology of short detective stories details a fictionalised account of Father Patrick S Dineen, lexicographer, historian and leading figure in the Gaelic revival movement at the beginning of the 20th century. Jenkinson offers readers an Irish-language version of GK Chesterton\u2019s Father Brown. <\/p>\n

6An Bhean Feasa by Alan Titley(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2014)\"An<\/p>\n

On November 16th, 1688, an Irish woman is convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death by hanging in New England. The only language she speaks in court is Irish. Appearing to readers under her slave name \u201cGoody Glover\u201d, An Bhean Feasa flits between Ireland, Boston and Barbados using the medium of poetry.<\/p>\n

5Tonn Teaspaigh agus D\u00e1nta Eile by Ailbhe N\u00ed Ghearbhuigh(\u00c9abhl\u00f3id, 2022)\"Tonn<\/p>\n

In Tonn Teaspaigh, or heatwave, her third volume of poetry, N\u00ed Ghearbhuigh explores the role of women in society and the realities of being a mother in modern Ireland. Litir \u00f3 Barcelona, included in this collection, won the Oireachtas na Samhna prize for best poem in 2022. <\/p>\n

4B\u00e9al na P\u00e9iste by Fionnt\u00e1n de Br\u00fan(Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht, 2023)\"Béal<\/p>\n

R\u00e9amonn Pr\u00fat returns home to Ardglass, Co Down, in the late 1980s to visit his late parents\u2019 home, having spent a lifetime abroad as a language teacher. De Br\u00fan takes readers on a journey through time as the narrative flits between 1980s Ireland and 1940s Germany, when Pr\u00fat worked as a translator for a Nazi radio channel on their Irish-language propaganda broadcasts. <\/p>\n

3An Litir by Liam Mac C\u00f3il(Leabher Breac, 2011)\"An<\/p>\n

Described in The Irish Times by P\u00f3l \u00d3 Muir\u00ed as \u201ca swashbuckling adventure set in Galway in 1612\u201d, An Litir follows L\u00fac\u00e1s \u00d3 Briain, a young student and a gifted swordsman, who is tasked with carrying a top-secret letter to Hugh \u00d3 Neill in exile in Rome. Using different narrators, this historical fiction spans Dublin, Galway, Bristol, the Spanish Netherlands, the Alps and Rome. The first of a trilogy, it is one of the most ambitious works in scale and breadth created in the Irish language. One for fans of Hilary Mantel\u2019s Wolf Hall. <\/p>\n

2B\u00f3dl\u00e9ar by Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed(Leabhar Breac, 2024) \"Bódléar<\/p>\n

Set on the west coast of Ireland, it follows a local poet who travels annually to Munster to the great gathering of poets. Upon his return, he receives a hero\u2019s welcome from locals eager to hear his new poems and songs. However, this year, the poet has returned in a foul humour and begins composing new rhymeless and toneless poetry, much to the horror of locals. This historical fiction is \u201ca vicious, witty novella about a village poet who pays the price for adopting foreign, newfangled ideas\u201d, writes Aifric Mac Aodha. <\/p>\n

1Madame Lazare by Tadhg Mac Dhonnag\u00e1in(Barzaz, 2021) \"Madame<\/p>\n

The Irish Language Book of the Year in 2021, which also received a Special Mention at the 2022 European Union Prize for Literature, follows Madame Lazare, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who lives in Paris, and her granddaughter Levana, who works in Brussels. Levana\u2019s grandmother becomes increasingly affected by dementia, until one day she speaks a language her family do not understand. <\/p>\n

Part mystery and part thriller, Madame Lazare takes readers from the Aran Islands to London in the second World War, to present-day Paris and the Brussels of Irish-language translators, to reveal an unexpected truth. <\/p>\n

S\u00edobhra Aiken explained why it was her No 1 choice. \u201cMadame Lazare is one of the best novels I\u2019ve read in years. Friends who hadn\u2019t read a book in Irish in years got in touch to recommend it. It\u2019s not just the pace, the natural and accessible prose or the beautiful reading by the author if you prefer to listen to the closleabhar (ebook): Madame Lazare is a book in which we see ourselves. Maybe what captures readers is the novel\u2019s central exploration of repressed family histories \u2013 something we can all relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Cronin said: \u201cMadame Lazare is a triumph of the storyteller\u2019s art where Mac Dhonnag\u00e1in produces an utterly persuasive account of a woman caught between languages, cultures and identities in the bitter divisions of the 20th century.\u201d <\/p>\n

Naoise Dolan<\/a> called it \u201cone of the most addictively entertaining books I\u2019ve read in years. With stylish understated prose, wry observational humour and deftly plotted twists and turns, Madame Lazare probes deeply on identity, morality and language itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cRarely have I been so torn between my wish to savour each sentence and my desperate compulsion to know what happens next. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople sometimes turn to Irish-language literature out of a desire to support the language or to improve their grasp of it. These are admirable impulses, but they scarcely break the top 100 reasons to read Madame Lazare; rather, this is a novel any lover of contemporary literature should read on its own merits, and it happens that Irish \u2013 or any of the languages it has been translated into \u2013 is the price of admission.\u201d <\/p>\n

Our panel of experts<\/p>\n

S\u00edobhra Aiken; M\u00edch\u00e9al MacCraith; Ailbhe N\u00ed Ghearbhuigh; Tadhg Mac Dhonnag\u00e1in; Sin\u00e9ad Mac Aodha; Anna Heussaff; Eil\u00eds N\u00ed Anluain; \u00c9anna \u00d3 Caolla\u00ed; Tristan Rosenstock; Cathal P\u00f3irt\u00e9ir; Liam Carson; R\u00e9alt\u00e1n N\u00ed Leann\u00e1in; M\u00e1ir\u00edn Nic Eoin; Breand\u00e1n \u00d3 Cr\u00f3in\u00edn; Michael Cronin; Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhr\u00edde; Laoighseach N\u00ed Choistealbha; Brian \u00d3 Conchubhair; Alan Titley; Aonghus \u00d3 hAlmhain; Gear\u00f3id \u00d3 Tuathaigh; \u00c1ine N\u00ed Bhreisle\u00e1in; Tracey N\u00ed Mhaonaigh; Fionnt\u00e1n de Br\u00fan; Lill \u00d3 Laoire; Catherine Foley; Gr\u00e1inne N\u00ed Mhuilneoir U\u00ed Riain; Colm \u00d3 Ceallach\u00e1in; Naoise Dolan; Bridget Bhreathnach; D\u00f3nall \u00d3 Braon\u00e1in; Toma\u00ed \u00d3 Conghaile; Aifric Mac Aodha; Eoin P \u00d3 Murch\u00fa; and Caitl\u00edn Nic \u00cdomhair. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The absence of any Irish-language titles from last year\u2019s survey in The Irish Times of what Irish critics,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":671457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[6489,284494,93,61,60,34095,45657,284493],"class_list":["post-671456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-book-reviews","tag-eilis-ni-dhuibhne","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-language","tag-naoise-dolan","tag-sceal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671456","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=671456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}