{"id":93009,"date":"2025-10-23T10:15:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/93009\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T10:15:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:15:17","slug":"shortlist-unveiled-for-the-2025-an-post-irish-book-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/93009\/","title":{"rendered":"Shortlist unveiled for the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cecelia Ahern, Donal Ryan, Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker, John Banville, RT\u00c9 presenter Miriam O&#8217;Callaghan and former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar are among the authors on the shortlist for this year&#8217;s An Post Irish Book Awards, which take place this November.<\/p>\n<p>Celebrating its 20th year, the Irish Book Awards shortlist features a diverse mix of writing from new and established Irish writers across 19 categories, including Novel of the Year, Children, Cookbook, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Non-fiction, Sports, Lifestyle, Short Story, Irish language, Poem, Newcomer, Teen and Young Adult, Irish Published and Biography, as well as an award celebrating the Irish Bookshop Of The Year.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"N\/A\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/002359b3-614.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nShortlisted authors Sophie Morris and David Gillick<\/p>\n<p>In another strong year for Irish writing, authors on the shortlist include Catherine Ryan Howard, John Banville, Brenda Fricker, Adam Maguire, Una Leonard, Leo Varadkar, Rois\u00edn O&#8217;Donnell, Andrew Porter, Elaine Feeney, Steve Cavanagh, Sam Blake, Alan Titley, Sophie White, Donal Skehan, Leona Forde, Joseph O&#8217;Connor, Patricia Forde, Gavan Reilly and Cecelia Ahern.<\/p>\n<p>Novel of the Year nominees include Hugo Hamilton for Conversation with the Sea, John Patrick McHugh for Fun and Games, Elaine Feeney for Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way, Rois\u00edn O&#8217;Donnell for Nesting, Wendy Erskine for The Benefactors, Garrett Carr for The Boy from the Sea, Joseph O&#8217;Connor for The Ghosts of Rome and John Banville for Venetian Vespers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"N\/A\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/002359b4-614.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nNovel of the Year nominee John Patrick McHugh<\/p>\n<p>Shortlisted in the Author of the Year category are Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn, Donal Ryan, Elaine Feeney, John Boyne, Rois\u00edn O&#8217;Donnell and Sarah Maria Griffin.<\/p>\n<p>Winners will be announced at awards ceremony in the Convention Centre, Dublin on Thursday, 27th November. A special TV programme hosted by Oliver Callan announcing the overall Irish Book of the Year winner will be broadcast on RT\u00c9 One on Thursday, 11th December.<\/p>\n<p>The public are now being asked to have their say and cast their votes for the best books of the year on the <a href=\"https:\/\/anpostirishbookawards.ie\/vote\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">An Post Irish Book Awards website<\/a> &#8211; voters will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five \u20ac100 National Book Tokens vouchers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"N\/A\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/002359b5-614.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nBiography of the Year nominee Julia Kelly<\/p>\n<p>Voters may cast their votes from 8pm on Wednesday, 22nd October until voting closes at 6:00pm on Sunday 16th November.<\/p>\n<p>Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says: &#8220;The 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The An Post Irish Book Awards 2025 &#8211; The Shortlist <\/p>\n<p>Eason Novel of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Conversation with the Sea \u2013 Hugo Hamilton (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Fun and Games \u2013 John Patrick McHugh (Fourth Estate, HarperCollins)<\/p>\n<p>Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way \u2013 Elaine Feeney (Harvill, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Nesting \u2013 Rois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell (Scribner Bools from Simon &amp; Schuster)<\/p>\n<p>The Benefactors \u2013 Wendy Erksine (Sceptre)<\/p>\n<p>The Boy from the Sea \u2013 Garrett Carr (Picador, Pan MacMillan)<\/p>\n<p>The Ghosts of Rome \u2013 Joseph O\u2019Connor (Harvill, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Venetian Vespers \u2013 John Banville (Faber)<\/p>\n<p>TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year<\/p>\n<p>An Irish Word a Day \u2013 Hector \u00d3 hEochag\u00e1in (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>For and against a united Ireland \u2013 Fintan O\u2019Toole and Sam McBride (Published by Royal Irish Academy and commissioned by the ARINS project)<\/p>\n<p>Midwinter: A Journey Through a Season \u2013 Michael Harding, illustrated by Enagh Farrell (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) \u2013 Manch\u00e1n Mangan, illustrated by Megan Luddy (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday Miscellany: A Selection 2023-2025 \u2013 Edited by Sarah Binchy (New Island Books)<\/p>\n<p>The GAA Covered \u2013 John Kelly (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"N\/A\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/002359b6-614.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nNominated authors gather to celebrate the shortlist announcement<\/p>\n<p>Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Burn Them Out!: A history of Fascism and the Far Right in Ireland \u2013 P\u00e1draig \u00d3g \u00d3 Ruairc (Apollo, Head of Zeus)<\/p>\n<p>Charlie vs Garret: The rivalry that shaped modern Ireland \u2013 Eoin O\u2019Malley (Eriu)<\/p>\n<p>Great Irish Wives \u2013 Nicola Pierce (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n<p>Ireland: Mapping the Island \u2013 Joseph Brady and Paul Ferguson (Birlinn)<\/p>\n<p>The Dublin Pub: A Social and Cultural History \u2013 Donal Fallon (New Island Books)<\/p>\n<p>Wrong Women \u2013 Caroline West (Eriu)<\/p>\n<p>Dubray Biography of the Year<\/p>\n<p>A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing \u2013 Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Miriam: Life, Work, Everything \u2013 Miriam O\u2019Callaghan (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>She Died Young: A Life in Fragments \u2013 Brenda Fricker (Apollo, Head of Zeus)<\/p>\n<p>Speaking My Mind \u2013 Leo Varadkar (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Still \u2013 A Memoir \u2013 Julia Kelly (New Island Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Brass Player: Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre \u2013 Stephen Travers with Yvonne Watterson (New Island Books)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"N\/A\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/002359b7-614.jpg\"\/><br \/>\nPopular Fiction Book of the Year nominee Cecelia Ahern<\/p>\n<p>Irish Book Week Non-Fiction Book of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Catastrophe: Nakba II \u2013 Fintan Drury (Merrion Press)<\/p>\n<p>Deadly Silence: A Sister\u2019s Battle to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of Clodagh and Her Sons by Alan Hawe \u2013 Jacqueline Connolly with Kathryn Rogers (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Dynasty: Scandals, Triumph, Turmoil and Succession at the heart of Dunnes Stores \u2013 Matt Cooper (Eriu)<\/p>\n<p>The Bailout Babies \u2013 Adam Maguire (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Lie of the Land: A Game Plan for Ireland in Climate Crisis \u2013 John Gibbons (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Life of Leinster House \u2013 Gavan Reilly (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Donal\u2019s Real Time Recipes \u2013 Donal Skehan (Yellow Kite)<\/p>\n<p>Good Together: Delicious Recipes for the Moments that Matter \u2013 Una Leonard (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Make &amp; Freeze &#8211; Lou Robbie (Michael Joseph, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Sophie\u2019s Swaps \u2013 Sophie Morris (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Walking Effect \u2013 Karl Henry (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Light Up \u2013 Miriam Hussey (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Eason Sports Book of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Cloud Nine: My Life in Rugby \u2013 Conor Murray with Tommy Conlon (Reach Sport)<\/p>\n<p>Heart on My Sleeve \u2013 Andrew Porter (Eriu)<\/p>\n<p>\u00d3 S\u00e9 \u2013 Marc O S\u00e9 with Adrian Russell (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Changing Game: The Past, Present and Future of Football \u2013 Martin O\u2019Neill, with Joey D\u2019Urso (Headline, Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>The Only Way I Know: The Autobiography \u2013 Andy Farrell (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>The Race \u2013 David Gillick with Cathal Dennehy (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Last Word Listeners\u2019 Choice Award<\/p>\n<p>A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing \u2013 Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Intensive Care: True Stories of Healing, Heartache and Hope from Inside Irish Children\u2019s Medicine \u2013 Dr Suzanne Crowe (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Nesting \u2013 Rois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell (Scribner Books from Simon &amp; Schuster)<\/p>\n<p>Old Parish: Notes on Hurling \u2013 Ciar\u00e1n Murphy (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>The Gaeilge Guide: Spark Your Connection to the Irish Language and Legacy \u2013 Mollie Guidera (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>The Ghosts of Rome \u2013 Joseph O\u2019Connor (Harvill, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn<\/p>\n<p>Donal Ryan<\/p>\n<p>Elaine Feeney<\/p>\n<p>John Boyne<\/p>\n<p>Rois\u00edn O\u2019Donnell<\/p>\n<p>Sarah Maria Griffin<\/p>\n<p>Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year<\/p>\n<p>Every One Still Here \u2013 Liadan N\u00ed Chuinn (The Stinging Fly)<\/p>\n<p>Show Me Where It Hurts \u2013 Claire Gleeson (Sceptre)<\/p>\n<p>Frogs for Watchdogs \u2013 Se\u00e1n Farrell (New Island Books)<\/p>\n<p>Oddbody \u2013 Rose Keating (Canongate)<\/p>\n<p>Sugartown \u2013 Caragh Maxwell (Oneworld)<\/p>\n<p>The Compound \u2013 Aisling Rawle (The Borough Press, HaperCollins)<\/p>\n<p>The Wardrobe Department \u2013 Elaine Garvey (Canongate)<\/p>\n<p>Thirst Trap \u2013 Gr\u00e1inne O\u2019Hare (Picador, Pan Macmillan)<\/p>\n<p>The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year in association with The Irish Independent<\/p>\n<p>Burn After Reading \u2013 Catherine Ryan Howard (Bantam, Transworld)<\/p>\n<p>Fair Play \u2013 Louise Hegarty (Picador, Pan MacMillan)<\/p>\n<p>It Should Have Been You \u2013 Andrea Mara (Bantam, Transworld)<\/p>\n<p>The Killing Sense \u2013 Sam Blake (Corvus, Atlantic Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Room \u2013 Jane Casey (Hemlock, HarperCollins)<\/p>\n<p>The Stolen Child \u2013 Carmel Harrington (Headline Review)<\/p>\n<p>The Stranger Inside \u2013 Amanda Cassidy (Canelo Crime)<\/p>\n<p>Two Kinds of Stranger \u2013 Steve Cavanagh (Headline)<\/p>\n<p>WHSmith Popular Fiction Book of the Year in association with Ireland AM<\/p>\n<p>Before Dorothy \u2013 Hazel Gaynor (Harper Fiction, HaperCollins)<\/p>\n<p>City Girls Forever \u2013 Patricia Scanlan (Simon &amp; Schuster)<\/p>\n<p>Moving On \u2013 Roisin Meaney (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Our Song \u2013 Anna Carey (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>Paper Heart \u2013 Cecelia Ahern (Harper Fiction, HaperCollins)<\/p>\n<p>Releasing 10 \u2013 Chloe Walsh (Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group)<\/p>\n<p>Such a Good Couple \u2013 Sophie White (Hachette Books Ireland)<\/p>\n<p>The In-Laws \u2013 Sin\u00e9ad Moriarty (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Specsavers Children\u2019s Book of the Year &#8211; Junior<\/p>\n<p>An Fia sa Choill \u2013 Sadhbh Devlin illustrated by Anastasia Melynkova (Futa Fata)<\/p>\n<p>Badger Books \u2013 Paddy Donnelly (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t Trust Fish! \u2013 Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (Anderson Press)<\/p>\n<p>Ellora McGee, Trainee Banshee \u2013 Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Hart, illustrated by \u00dana Woods (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Letters to a Monster \u2013 Patricia Forde, illustrated by Sarah Warburton (Bloomsbury Children\u2019s Books)<\/p>\n<p>Once I Was a Tree \u2013 Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten (Nosy Crow)<\/p>\n<p>Penguin TV \u2013 Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Run Home, Little Fox \u2013 Tom McCaughren and Erika McGann, illustrated by Shannon Bergin (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n<p>Specsavers Children\u2019s Book of the Year \u2013 Senior<\/p>\n<p>Animalopedia \u2013 Kathi and John Burke (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Tales of Darkisle Book One: Conn of the Dead \u2013 Dave Rudden, illustrated by Ali Al Amine (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Granny National \u2013 Rachael Blackmore with Rachel Pierce (Sandycove, Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>Milly McCarthy and the Haunted House HullaBOOloo! \u2013 Leona Forde illustrated by Karen Harte (Gill Books)<\/p>\n<p>Nina Peanut Epic World Tour Era \u2013 Sarah Bowie (Scholastic)<\/p>\n<p>The Doomsday Club \u2013 Kevin Moran (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n<p>International Education Services Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy<\/p>\n<p>Any Way You Slice It &#8211; M\u00e9abh McDonnell (The O\u2019Brien Press)<\/p>\n<p>Matched Up \u2013 Jenny Ireland (Penguin)<\/p>\n<p>My Name is Jodie Jones \u2013 Emma Shevah (David Fickling Books)<\/p>\n<p>Solo \u2013 Gr\u00e1inne O\u2019Brien (Little Island Books)<\/p>\n<p>Shipshock \u2013 Caroline O\u2019Donoghue (Walker Books)<\/p>\n<p>The Rebel and the Rose \u2013 Catherine Doyle (Simon &amp; Schuster)<\/p>\n<p>Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana<\/p>\n<p>An Bhlaosc sa mBois \u2013 Mich\u00e9al \u00d3 Conghaile (Cl\u00f3 Iar-Chonnacht)<\/p>\n<p>B\u00f3dl\u00e9ar \u2013 Darach \u00d3 Scola\u00ed (Leabhar Breac)<\/p>\n<p>Fiche \u2013 Colm \u00d3 Ceallach\u00e1in (Leabhar Breac)<\/p>\n<p>Sc\u00e9alta Nollag \u2013 Alan Titley, maisithe ag Firas Aldakkak (LeabhairCOMHAR)<\/p>\n<p>New Irish Writing Best Short Story in association with the Irish Independent<\/p>\n<p>Carnations \u2013 Lorraine Courtney<\/p>\n<p>Glass Splinters \u2013 Kieran Marsh<\/p>\n<p>Breathing Lessons \u2013 Sylvia Caldwell<\/p>\n<p>That Little Tent of Blue \u2013 Mary Shovelin<\/p>\n<p>All the Birch Trees Were Waving \u2013 P\u00e1dhraic Quinn<\/p>\n<p>A Constriction \u2013 Eamon McGuinness<\/p>\n<p>New Irish Writing Best Poetry in association with the Irish Independent<\/p>\n<p>\u2018There\u2019s never a crowd at the poetry section\u2019 \u2013 Vincent Barton<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The Tragedy of It\u2019 \u2013 Kevin O\u2019Farrell<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The Crows\u2019 and \u2018The Leaf\u2019 &#8211; Paul McMahon<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Minimum Wage\u2019, \u2018South-Eastern Wind\u2019 and \u2018Midnight Oil\u2019 \u2013 Joanne McCarthy<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Rowan\u2019s furniture. Dublin 1965\u2019 and \u2018Carousel\u2019 \u2013 Nollaig Rowan<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I Remember Stealing\u2019 and \u2018The Visitor\u2019 \u2013 Bronagh Mallon<\/p>\n<p>An Post Bookshop of the Year (in alphabetical order)<\/p>\n<p>Antonia\u2019s Bookstore, Trim, Co. Meath<\/p>\n<p>Chapters Bookstore, Dublin 1<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Byrne\u2019s Bookshop, Co. Galway<\/p>\n<p>The Company of Books, Ranelagh, Dublin 6<\/p>\n<p>Liber Bookshop, Sligo Town<\/p>\n<p>The Maynooth Bookshop, Co. Kildare<\/p>\n<p>Find out more about the An Post Irish Book Awards <a href=\"https:\/\/anpostirishbookawards.ie\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cecelia Ahern, Donal Ryan, Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker, John Banville, RT\u00c9 presenter Miriam O&#8217;Callaghan and former Taoiseach Leo&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[412,146,85,46],"class_list":["post-93009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-books","tag-books","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}