Books

20th Oct 2023

Did your favourite authors make the list? The shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 has been revealed

Jody Coffey

The awards are one of the major highlights of the literary calendar.

The shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 has been unveiled, featuring a mix of diverse and talented writing by new and established authors.

Writers will be celebrated across 19 categories, bringing together communities who are passionate about books and recognising the very best Irish writing talent.

Voting is now open for the awards, which are in their 18th year, for avid readers to cast have their say online for the best books of the year.

Thee winners will all be revealed on November 22nd.

Pictured: Shortlisted Author Paul Lynch. Credit: Unique Media

All voters will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win one of five €100 National Book Tokens vouchers, furthering and supporting the awards’ message of how important reading is.

The closing date to get your votes in is November 9th at 5 p.m., and votes can be made on the An Post Irish Book Awards website at anpostirishbookawards.ie/vote.

Readers, authors, booksellers, publishers, and librarians all come together annually for the An Post Irish Awards to celebrate and promote Irish writing and encourage more reading across Ireland.

Pictured: Shortlisted Author Katriona O’ Sullivan. Credit: Unique Media

The categories include:

Novel of the Year
Children
Cookbook
Crime Fiction
Popular Fiction
Non-fiction
Sports
Lifestyle
Short Story
Irish Language
Poem
Short Story
Newcomer
Teen and Young Adult
Irish Published
Biography

An insight into the accolade award for the ‘An Post Irish Book Awards Book of the Year 2023’ will also be aired on December 6th on RTÉ One. A one-hour special hosted by Oliver Callan will give viewers an exclusive look at the six books and their authors who are competing for the honoured title.

Going a step further, the hashtag #ReadersWanted is a campaign that has seen wide success and will be continued this year by An Post in the hopes of celebrating the value and joy of reading and motivating everyone to pick up more books more often.

Speaking on this year’s shortlist, Brendan Corbett, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says it’s reflective of “the sheer talent of Irish writers and the incredible literary community” here in Ireland.

“Each category features outstanding writing along with truly deserving writers and authors, as well as publishers and booksellers,” Brendan continued.

Pictured: Donal Fallon with Frank and James Flanagan. Credit: Unique Media

David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, said “this is a golden time for Irish writing” while explaining the importance of the annual awards.

“The A Post Irish Book Awards exist to promote Irish authors, and to connect them to the widest audience. Ireland’s intellectual infrastructure matters as much as the physical, and we congratulate and thank all the shortlisted authors,” he added.

The An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 Shortlist is as follows:

TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year

Tearásas Gaeilge-Béarla / Irish-English Thesaurus – Garry Bannister (New Island Books)
A Nation is Born – Michael B. Barry and John O’Byrne (Gill Books)
Sunday Miscellany: A Selection 2018-2023 – Sarah Binchy (New Island Books)
The Lamplighters of the Phoenix Park – Donal Fallon with Frank and James Flanagan (Hachette Books Ireland)
A Place to Play: The People and Stories Behind 101 GAA Grounds – Humphrey Kelleher (Merrion Press)
Wild Ireland: A Nature Journey from Shore to Peak – Carsten Krieger (The O’Brien Press)

Biography of the Year

Finucane and Me – John Clarke (Gill Books)
Raised by the Zoo – Gerry Creighton, with Louise Ní Chríodáin (Gill Books)
MadHouse – P.J. Gallagher (Sandycove)
We Need to Talk – Dr Tony Holohan (Eriú)
Poor – Katriona O’Sullivan (Sandycove)
A Woman in Defence: A Soldier’s Story of the Enemy Within the Irish Army – Karina Molloy, with Kathryn Rogers (Hachette Books Ireland)

Cookbook of the Year

Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book – Nathan Anthony (Ebury Press)
Paradiso: Recipes and Reflections – Denis Cotter (Nine Bean Rows)
The Gathered Table: A Taste of Home – compiled by Gather and Gather Ireland (Nine Bean Rows)
Spice Box – Sunil Ghai, edited by Kristen Jensen (Sandycove)
Flavour – Mark Moriarty, photography by Cliodhna Prendergast (Gill Books)
Home Kitchen – Donal Skehan (Yellow Kite, Hodder and Stoughton)

Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year

Glow: Five Steps to create the Life You Dream About – Georgie Crawford (Hachette Books Ireland)
From Malin Head to Mizen Head – Joanna Donnelly, illustrated by Louise Naughton (Gill Books)
Home is Where the Start Is – Richard Hogan (Sandycove)
This is My Sea – Miriam Mulcahy (Eriú)
The Hike Life – Roz Purcell (Black and White Publishing)
It’s Probably Your Hormones – Dr Mary Ryan, with Jennifer Stevens, illustrated by Derry Dillon (Gill Books)

Dubray Non-fiction Book of the Year

Rough Beast: My Story and the Reality of Sinn Féin – Máiría Cahill (Head of Zeus, Apollo)
Who Really Owns Ireland? – Matt Cooper (Gill Books)
Dirty Linen: The Troubles in My Home Place – Martin Doyle (Merrion Press)
Cracking the Case – Christy Mangan (Sandycove)
The Long Game – Aoife Moore (Sandycove)
A Thread of Violence – Mark O’Connell (Granta Books)

Eason Sports Book of the Year in association with Ireland AM

Born to be a Footballer – Liam Brady (Eriú)
This is the Life – Ciarán Murphy (Sandycove)
Sport in Modern Irish Life – Paul Rouse (Merrion Press)
The Grass Ceiling – Eimear Ryan (Sandycove)
In the Blood – Pat Spillane, with Michael Moynihan (Gill Books)
Under Water – Claire Walsh (Gill Books)

Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year

Sebastian Barry (Faber and Faber)
Claire Keegan (Faber and Faber)
Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker, Penguin Random House)
Lucinda Riley (Pan Macmillan)
Catherine Ryan Howard (Bantam, Transworld)

Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

The Lock-Up – John Banville (Faber and Faber)
The Close – Jane Casey (Harper Fiction)
Kill for Me, Kill for You – Steve Cavanagh (Headline)
No One Saw a Thing – Andrea Mara (Bantam, Transworld)
Strange Sally Diamond – Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
The Trap – Catherine Ryan Howard (Bantam, Transworld)

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year

The Red Bird Sings – Aoife Fitzpatrick (LBBG/ Virago)
The Celestial Realm – Molly Hennigan (Eriú)
The Couples – Lauren Mackenzie (John Murray Press)
Close to Home – Michael Magee (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)
Though the Bodies Fall – Noel O’Regan (Granta Books)
Kala – Colin Walsh (Atlantic Books)

National Book Tokens Popular Fiction Book of the Year

The Last Lifeboat – Hazel Gaynor (Harper Fiction)
Queen Bee – Ciara Geraghty (Harper Fiction)
Aisling Ever After – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Gill Books)
Camino Royale – Ross O’Carroll Kelly (Sandycove)
The Lodgers – Eithne Shortall (Atlantic Books, Corvus)
My Hot Friend – Sophie White (Hachette Books Ireland)

Eason Novel of the Year

Old God’s Time – Sebastian Barry (Faber and Faber)
The Wren, The Wren – Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)
How to Build a Boat – Elaine Feeney (Harvill Secker, Penguin Random House)
So Late in the Day – Claire Keegan (Faber and Faber)
Soldier Sailor – Claire Kilroy (Faber and Faber)
Prophet Song – Paul Lynch (Oneworld)
The Bee Sting – Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)
My Father’s House – Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker, Penguin Random House)

Foras na Gaeilge Irish Language Fiction Book of the Year

Ceallach – Diarmuid Johnson (Leabhar Breac)
Imram agus Scéalta Eile – Róise Ní Bhaoill (Éabhlóid)
Ag dul i bhfad – Alan Titley (Cló lar-Chonnacht)
Béal na Péiste – Fionntán de Brún (Cló lar-Chonnacht)
Sa Pholl Báite – Anna Heussaff (Cló lar-Chonnacht)

The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award

Social Capital – Aoife Barry (Harper Collins)
Juno Loves Legs – Karl Geary (Harvill Secker, Penguin Random House)
Poor – Katriona O’Sullivan (Sandycove)
The Bee Sting – Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)
Strange Sally Diamond – Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
The Grass Ceiling – Eimear Ryan (Sandycove)

International Education Services Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy

Something Terrible Happened Last Night – Sam Blake (Gill Books)
What Walks These Halls – Amy Clarkin (The O’Brien Press)
Daughter of Winter and Twilight – Helen Corcoran (the O’Brien Press)
Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers and Everyday Heroes – Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons, illustrated by Jessica Louise (Little Island Books and Black and Irish)
A Million to One – Adiba Jaigirdar (Hodder Childrens’ Books)
Wise Creatures – Deirdre Sullivan (Hot Key Books)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Junior

Kevin’s in a Mood – Sarah Bowie (The O’Brien Press)
Wild City – Ashwin Chacko (The O’Brien Press)
Three Tasks for a Dragon – Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch (Walker Books)
The Slug and the Snail, Oein DeBhairduin, illustrated by Olya Anima (Little Island Books and Skein Press)
The President’s Dog – Peter Donnelly (Gill Books)
Standing on One Legs is Hard – Erika McGann, illustrated by Clive McFarland (The O’Brien Press)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Senior

Sally in the City of Dreams – Judi Curtin (The O’Brien Press)
Milly McCarthy and the Irish Dancing Disaster – Leona Ford, illustrated by Karen Harte (Gill Books)
The Girl who Fell to Earth – Patricia Forde (Little Island Books)
The Silver Road – Sinéad O’Hart (Piccadilly Press)
God’s Don’t Cry – Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Conor Merriman (HCCB)
I am the Wind: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere – edited by Lucinda Jacob and Sarah Webb, illustrated by Ashwin Chacko (Little Island Books)

Writing.ie Short Story of the Year

Wales – Thomas Morris (Open Up, Faber and Faber)
Peace Process – Barbara Byar (Variant Literature Journal)
In the Same Darkness – Jennifer McMahon (Heimat Review)
Such a Pretty Face – Moira Fowley (Eyes Guts Throat Bones, Orion)
The Story of Elizabeth – Ceila de Fréine (Tearing Stripes of Zebras (Arlen House)
The Island – Olivia Kiernan (Best Magazine)

Listowel Writers’ Week Poem of the Year