The shortlist for the 20th annual An Post Irish Book Awards has been unveiled, featuring a diverse mix of new and established writers across 19 categories. <\/p>\n
The coveted Novel of the Year prize features veterans John Banville<\/a> and Hugo Hamilton; Joseph O\u2019Connor<\/a> for the second in his series of novels<\/a> set in occupied Rome during the second World War; Elaine Feeney<\/a> for her third work of fiction<\/a>; and four debut novelists: John Patrick McHugh, Rois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell, Wendy Erskine and Garrett Carr.<\/p>\n Fintan Drury, Jacqueline Connolly with Kathryn Rogers, Matt Cooper, Adam Maguire, John Gibbons and Gavan Reilly compete for Nonfiction Book of the Year, with subjects as varied as Israel\u2019s onslaught on Gaza; the murder by Alan Hawe of his wife Clodagh and their three sons; a history of Dunnes Stores; the climate crisis; the children of the bailout; and behind the scenes at Leinster House.<\/p>\n Larry Mac Hale, chairperson of the awards, said: \u201cThe shortlist for this year\u2019s An Post Irish Book Awards once again highlights the extraordinary breadth and depth of talent among Irish writers. It\u2019s inspiring to see such creativity and passion reflected across every category, with deserving recognition for authors, publishers, illustrators and booksellers alike. The awards remain the cornerstone of Ireland\u2019s literary calendar, and we look forward to celebrating this year\u2019s winners.\u201d<\/p>\n The public are now being invited to cast their votes on the awards website<\/a>. Voters may cast their votes from 8pm on Wednesday evening until voting closes at 6pm on Sunday, November 16th. <\/p>\n The shortlist for the Short Story and Poetry categories was selected from the monthly winners by Ciaran Carty, editor of New Irish Writing since 1988, and associate editor Dermot Bolger. The overall winners of both categories will be chosen by novelist and screenwriter Eoin McNamee and critically acclaimed poet Enda Wyley. Along with the trophy, the winners will receive a scholarship at the Irish Writers Centre to help develop their writing careers, featuring mentoring, courses and membership to the centre.<\/p>\n Other categories include Novel of the Year, Best Irish-Published, Children\u2019s (Junior and Senior), History, Newcomer, Lifestyle, Crime Fiction, Biography, Popular Fiction, Non-Fiction, Sports, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Donal Ryan wins An Post Irish Novel of the Year Award for Heart, Be at PeaceOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the Convention Centre, Dublin on Thursday, November 27th, highlights of which, hosted by Oliver Callan, will be broadcast on RT\u00c9 One on Thursday, December 11th, when the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year winner will also be revealed.<\/p>\n Irish Book Awards 2025 shortlistsNovel of the YearConversation with the Sea \u2013 Hugo Hamilton (Hachette Books Ireland) Fun and Games \u2013 John Patrick McHugh (Fourth Estate)Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way \u2013 Elaine Feeney (Harvill)Nesting \u2013 Rois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell (Scribner) The Benefactors \u2013 Wendy Erskine (Sceptre)The Boy from the Sea \u2013 Garrett Carr (Picador)The Ghosts of Rome \u2013 Joseph O\u2019Connor (Harvill) Venetian Vespers \u2013 John Banville (Faber)Best Irish-Published Book of the Year An Irish Word a Day \u2013 Hector \u00d3 hEochag\u00e1in (Gill Books)For and Against a United Ireland \u2013 Fintan O\u2019Toole and Sam McBride (Royal Irish Academy)Midwinter: A Journey Through a Season \u2013 Michael Harding, illustrated by Enagh Farrell (Hachette Books Ireland)Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) \u2013 Manch\u00e1n Magan<\/a>, illustrated by Megan Luddy (Gill Books) Sunday Miscellany: A Selection 2023-2025 \u2013 Edited by Sarah Binchy (New Island Books)The GAA Covered \u2013 John Kelly (Gill Books) History Book of the YearBurn Them Out!: A history of Fascism and the Far Right in Ireland \u2013 P\u00e1draig \u00d3g \u00d3 Ruairc (Apollo)Charlie vs Garret: The rivalry that shaped modern Ireland \u2013 Eoin O\u2019Malley (Eriu)Great Irish Wives \u2013 Nicola Pierce (The O\u2019Brien Press) Ireland: Mapping the Island \u2013 Joseph Brady and Paul Ferguson (Birlinn) The Dublin Pub: A Social and Cultural History \u2013 Donal Fallon (New Island Books)Wrong Women \u2013 Caroline West (Eriu) Biography of the YearA Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing \u2013 Sarah Corbett Lynch<\/a> (Hachette Books Ireland)Miriam: Life, Work, Everything \u2013 Miriam O\u2019Callaghan (Sandycove) She Died Young: A Life in Fragments \u2013 Brenda Fricker<\/a> (Apollo)Speaking My Mind \u2013 Leo Varadkar (Sandycove)Still \u2013 A Memoir \u2013 Julia Kelly (New Island Books)The Bass Player: Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre \u2013 Stephen Travers with Yvonne Watterson (New Island Books) Non-Fiction Book of the Year Catastrophe: Nakba II \u2013 Fintan Drury (Merrion Press)Deadly Silence: A Sister\u2019s Battle to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of Clodagh and Her Sons by Alan Hawe \u2013 Jacqueline Connolly<\/a> with Kathryn Rogers (Hachette Books Ireland) Dynasty: Scandals, Triumph, Turmoil and Succession at the heart of Dunnes Stores \u2013 Matt Cooper (Eriu)The Bailout Babies \u2013 Adam Maguire (Gill Books)The Lie of the Land: A Game Plan for Ireland in Climate Crisis \u2013 John Gibbons (Sandycove)The Secret Life of Leinster House \u2013 Gavan Reilly (Gill Books)Lifestyle Book of the Year Donal\u2019s Real Time Recipes \u2013 Donal Skehan (Yellow Kite)Good Together: Delicious Recipes for the Moments that Matter \u2013 Una Leonard (Hachette Books Ireland)Make & Freeze – Lo\u2013 Robbie (Michael Joseph)Sophie\u2019s Swaps \u2013 Sophie Morris (Gill Books)The Walking Effect \u2013 Karl Henry (Gill Books)Light Up \u2013 Miriam Hussey (Gill Books)Sports Book of the Year Cloud Nine: My Life in Rugby \u2013 Conor Murray with Tommy Conlon (Reach Sport)Heart on My Sleeve \u2013 Andrew Porter (Eriu)\u00d3 S\u00e9 \u2013 Marc \u00d3 S\u00e9 with Adrian Russell (Gill Books)The Changing Game: The Past, Present and Future of Football \u2013 Martin O\u2019Neill, with Joey D\u2019Urso (Headline)The Only Way I Know: The Autobiography \u2013 Andy Farrell<\/a> (Sandycove)The Race \u2013 David Gillick with Cathal Dennehy (Gill Books)The Last Word Listeners\u2019 Choice AwardA Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing \u2013 Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette Books Ireland)Intensive Care: True Stories of Healing, Heartache and Hope from Inside Irish Children\u2019s Medicine \u2013 Dr Suzanne Crowe (Hachette Books Ireland)Nesting \u2013 Rois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell (Scribner) Old Parish: Notes on Hurling \u2013 Ciar\u00e1n Murphy (Sandycove) The Gaeilge Guide: Spark Your Connection to the Irish Language and Legacy \u2013 Mollie Guidera (Hachette Books Ireland)The Ghosts of Rome \u2013 Joseph O\u2019Connor (Harvill) Author of the Year Colm T\u00f3ib\u00ednDonal RyanElaine FeeneyJohn BoyneRois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell Sarah Maria Griffin Newcomer of the YearEvery One Still Here \u2013 Liadan N\u00ed Chuinn (The Stinging Fly)Show Me Where It Hurts \u2013 Claire Gleeson (Sceptre) Frogs for Watchdogs \u2013 Se\u00e1n Farrell (New Island Books)Oddbody \u2013 Rose Keating (Canongate)Sugartown \u2013 Caragh Maxwell (Oneworld)The Compound \u2013 Aisling Rawle (The Borough Press) The Wardrobe Department \u2013 Elaine Garvey (Canongate)Thirst Trap \u2013 Gr\u00e1inne O\u2019Hare (Picador) Crime Fiction Book of the YearBurn After Reading \u2013 Catherine Ryan Howard (Bantam)Fair Play \u2013 Louise Hegarty (Picador)It Should Have Been You \u2013 Andrea Mara (Bantam)The Killing Sense \u2013 Sam Blake (Corvus)The Secret Room \u2013 Jane Casey (Hemlock) The Stolen Child \u2013 Carmel Harrington (Headline) The Stranger Inside \u2013 Amanda Cassidy (Canelo)Two Kinds of Stranger \u2013 Steve Cavanagh (Headline)Popular Fiction Book of the Year in association with Ireland AMBefore Dorothy \u2013 Hazel Gaynor (Harper Fiction) City Girls Forever \u2013 Patricia Scanlan (Simon & Schuster)Moving On \u2013 Roisin Meaney (Hachette Books Ireland)Our Song \u2013 Anna Carey (Hachette Books Ireland)Paper Heart \u2013 Cecelia Ahern (Harper Fiction)Releasing 10 \u2013 Chloe Walsh (Piatkus)Such a Good Couple \u2013 Sophie White (Hachette Books Ireland)The In-Laws \u2013 Sin\u00e9ad Moriarty (Sandycove) Children\u2019s Book of the Year \u2013 JuniorAn Fia sa Choill \u2013 Sadhbh Devlin illustrated by Anastasia Melynkova (Futa Fata)Badger Books \u2013 Paddy Donnelly (The O\u2019Brien Press)Don\u2019t Trust Fish! \u2013 Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (Anderson Press)Ellora McGee, Trainee Banshee \u2013 Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Hart, illustrated by \u00dana Woods (Gill Books)Letters to a Monster \u2013 Patricia Forde, illustrated by Sarah Warburton (Bloomsbury Children\u2019s Books)Once I Was a Tree \u2013 Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten (Nosy Crow)Penguin TV \u2013 Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher (Gill Books)Run Home, Little Fox \u2013 Tom McCaughren and Erika McGann, illustrated by Shannon Bergin (The O\u2019Brien Press)Children\u2019s Book of the Year \u2013 Senior Animalopedia \u2013 Kathi and John Burke (Gill Books)Tales of Darkisle Book One: Conn of the Dead \u2013 Dave Rudden, illustrated by Ali Al Amine (Gill Books)Granny National \u2013 Rachael Blackmore with Rachel Pierce (Sandycove)Milly McCarthy and the Haunted House HullaBOOloo! \u2013 Leona Forde illustrated by Karen Harte (Gill Books)Nina Peanut Epic World Tour Era \u2013 Sarah Bowie (Scholastic) The Doomsday Club \u2013 Kevin Moran (The O\u2019Brien Press)Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy Any Way You Slice It \u2013 M\u00e9abh McDonnell (The O\u2019Brien Press)Matched Up \u2013 Jenny Ireland (Penguin)My Name is Jodie Jones \u2013 Emma Shevah (David Fickling Books)Solo \u2013 Gr\u00e1inne O\u2019Brien (Little Island Books)Shipshock \u2013 Caroline O\u2019Donoghue (Walker Books) The Rebel and the Rose \u2013 Catherine Doyle (Simon & Schuster)Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana An Bhlaosc sa mBois \u2013 Miche\u00e1l \u00d3 Conghaile (Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht)B\u00f3dl\u00e9ar \u2013 Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed (Leabhar Breac)Fiche \u2013 Colm \u00d3 Ceallach\u00e1in (Leabhar Breac)Sc\u00e9alta Nollag \u2013 Alan Titley, maisithe ag Firas Aldakkak (LeabhairCOMHAR) New Irish Writing Best Short StoryCarnations \u2013 Lorraine Courtney Glass Splinters \u2013 Kieran MarshBreathing Lessons \u2013 Sylvia CaldwellThat Little Tent of Blue \u2013 Mary Shovelin All the Birch Trees Were Waving \u2013 P\u00e1dhraic QuinnA Constriction \u2013 Eamon McGuinness New Irish Writing Best Poetry\u2018There\u2019s never a crowd at the poetry section\u2019 \u2013 Vincent Barton\u2018The Tragedy of It\u2019 \u2013 Kevin O\u2019Farrell\u2018The Crows\u2019 and \u2018The Leaf\u2019 \u2013 Paul McMahon\u2018Minimum Wage\u2019, \u2018South-Eastern Wind\u2019 and \u2018Midnight Oil\u2019 \u2013 Joanne McCarthy \u2018Rowan\u2019s furniture. Dublin 1965\u2019 and \u2018Carousel\u2019 \u2013 Nollaig Rowan\u2018I Remember Stealing\u2019 and \u2018The Visitor\u2019 \u2013 Bronagh Mallon Bookshop of the YearAntonia\u2019s Bookstore, Trim, Co MeathChapters Bookstore, Dublin 1Charlie Byrne\u2019s Bookshop, Co GalwayThe Company of Books, Ranelagh, Dublin 6Liber Bookshop, Sligo TownThe Maynooth Bookshop, Co Kildare<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The shortlist for the 20th annual An Post Irish Book Awards has been unveiled, featuring a diverse mix…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[288,93,61,60,40658],"class_list":["post-97511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-books","tag-books","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-book-awards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97511","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=97511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}