Shortlist announced for An Post Irish Book Awards 2025

The shortlist for the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards has been unveiled, featuring a diverse and exciting mix of exceptional writing from both new and established writers across 19 categories.

Celebrating its 20th year, the An Post Irish Book Awards continue to champion and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year, the Awards bring together a vast community passionate about books – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – to recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent, and 2025 will be no different.

The ‘Best Short Story’ and ‘Best Poetry’ award categories will continue their successful partnership with the Irish Independent’s New Irish Writing competition, introduced last year. Formerly known as the Hennessy Literary Awards, New Irish Writing has been a platform for unpublished writers since its establishment in 1968, helping to launch the careers of numerous Irish literary stars including Colum McCann, Anne Enright, Joseph O’Connor, and Claire Keegan. The monthly winners are published on the last Saturday of each month, both online and in the Review supplement of the Irish Independent.

The shortlist of six 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 of the Best Short Story and Best Poetry categories will receive a special Irish Book Awards Scholarship at the Irish Writers Centre. This will include a package of supports to help develop their writing careers, featuring a combination of mentoring, courses, and membership to the Centre.

Other categories include Novel of the Year, Best Irish-Published, Children’s (Junior and Senior), History, Newcomer, Lifestyle, Crime Fiction, Biography, Popular Fiction, Non-Fiction, Sports, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language.

To tie in with the announcement of the An Post Irish Book Awards shortlist, the public are now being asked to have their say and cast their votes for the best books of the year on the An Post Irish Book Awards website anpostirishbookawards.ie/vote.

All voters will be entered into a prize draw to win one of five €100 National Book Tokens vouchers. Voters may cast their votes from 8pm on Wednesday, 22nd October until voting closes at 6:00pm on Sunday 16th November.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by An Post Irish Book Awards (@irishbookawards)

Meanwhile, a one-hour television special, hosted by Oliver Callan, will be broadcast on RTÉ One on 11th December giving viewers an exclusive insight into the six books and the authors competing for the accolade of ‘An Post Irish Book Awards Book of the Year 2025’, culminating in the reveal of this year’s overall winner.

Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says: “The shortlist for this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards once again highlights the extraordinary breadth and depth of talent among Irish writers. It’s inspiring to see such creativity and passion reflected across every category, with deserving recognition for authors, publishers, illustrators, and booksellers alike.

"We’re particularly excited to continue our partnership with the Irish Independent through the Best Short Story and Poetry categories. It is incredibly important that we support new authors and nurture emerging voices, and we’re delighted that the winners of both these categories will each receive a special Irish Book Awards Scholarship with the Irish Writers Centre - offering mentoring, courses, and membership to help them further their writing journey and careers.

"The An Post Irish Book Awards remains the cornerstone of Ireland’s literary calendar, and we look forward to celebrating this year’s winners on 27 November.”

Debbie Byrne, Managing Director of Retail at An Post, says: “We’re proud to announce the shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025. From exciting new talent to beloved favourites, this year’s shortlist is a celebration of imagination, bold ideas, unforgettable journeys and the richness of Irish literature that speaks to every kind of reader and every aspect of Irish life. Our support for the Irish Book Awards goes far beyond sponsorship, it’s a heartfelt belief in the transformative power of storytelling to light up minds, inspire and connect us and bring great enjoyment. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and happy reading everyone!”

The An Post Irish Book Awards 2025 Shortlist is as follows:

Eason Novel of the Year

• Conversation with the Sea – Hugo Hamilton (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Fun and Games – John Patrick McHugh (Fourth Estate, HarperCollins)
• Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way – Elaine Feeney (Harvill, Penguin)
• Nesting – Roisín O’Donnell (Scribner Bools from Simon & Schuster)
• The Benefactors – Wendy Erksine (Sceptre)
• The Boy from the Sea – Garrett Carr (Picador, Pan MacMillan)
• The Ghosts of Rome – Joseph O’Connor (Harvill, Penguin)
• Venetian Vespers – John Banville (Faber)

TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year

• An Irish Word a Day – Hector Ó hEochagáin (Gill Books)
• For and against a united Ireland – Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride (Published by Royal Irish Academy and commissioned by the ARINS project)
• Midwinter: A Journey Through a Season – Michael Harding, illustrated by Enagh Farrell (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) – Manchán Mangan, illustrated by Megan Luddy (Gill Books)
• Sunday Miscellany: A Selection 2023-2025 – Edited by Sarah Binchy (New Island Books)
• The GAA Covered – John Kelly (Gill Books)

Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year

• Burn Them Out!: A history of Fascism and the Far Right in Ireland – Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc (Apollo, Head of Zeus)
• Charlie vs Garret: The rivalry that shaped modern Ireland – Eoin O’Malley (Eriu)
• Great Irish Wives – Nicola Pierce (The O’Brien Press)
• Ireland: Mapping the Island – Joseph Brady and Paul Ferguson (Birlinn)
• The Dublin Pub: A Social and Cultural History – Donal Fallon (New Island Books)
• Wrong Women – Caroline West (Eriu)

Dubray Biography of the Year

• A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing – Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Miriam: Life, Work, Everything – Miriam O’Callaghan (Sandycove, Penguin)
• She Died Young: A Life in Fragments – Brenda Fricker (Apollo, Head of Zeus)
• Speaking My Mind – Leo Varadkar (Sandycove, Penguin)
• Still – A Memoir – Julia Kelly (New Island Books)
• The Bass Player: Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre – Stephen Travers with Yvonne Watterson (New Island Books)

Irish Book Week Non-Fiction Book of the Year 

• Catastrophe: Nakba II – Fintan Drury (Merrion Press)
• Deadly Silence: A Sister’s Battle to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of Clodagh and Her Sons by Alan Hawe – Jacqueline Connolly with Kathryn Rogers (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Dynasty: Scandals, Triumph, Turmoil and Succession at the heart of Dunnes Stores – Matt Cooper (Eriu)
• The Bailout Babies – Adam Maguire (Gill Books)
• The Lie of the Land: A Game Plan for Ireland in Climate Crisis – John Gibbons (Sandycove, Penguin)
• The Secret Life of Leinster House – Gavan Reilly (Gill Books)

Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year 

• Donal’s Real Time Recipes – Donal Skehan (Yellow Kite)
• Good Together: Delicious Recipes for the Moments that Matter – Una Leonard (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Make & Freeze - Lou Robbie (Michael Joseph, Penguin)
• Sophie’s Swaps – Sophie Morris (Gill Books)
• The Walking Effect – Karl Henry (Gill Books)
• Light Up – Miriam Hussey (Gill Books)

Eason Sports Book of the Year 

• Cloud Nine: My Life in Rugby – Conor Murray with Tommy Conlon (Reach Sport)
• Heart on My Sleeve – Andrew Porter (Eriu)
• Ó Sé – Marc O Sé with Adrian Russell (Gill Books)
• The Changing Game: The Past, Present and Future of Football – Martin O’Neill, with Joey D’Urso (Headline, Hachette Books Ireland)
• The Only Way I Know: The Autobiography – Andy Farrell (Sandycove, Penguin)
• The Race – David Gillick with Cathal Dennehy (Gill Books)

The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award

• A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing – Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Intensive Care: True Stories of Healing, Heartache and Hope from Inside Irish Children’s Medicine – Dr Suzanne Crowe (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Nesting – Roisín O’Donnell (Scribner Books from Simon & Schuster)
• Old Parish: Notes on Hurling – Ciarán Murphy (Sandycove, Penguin)
• The Gaeilge Guide: Spark Your Connection to the Irish Language and Legacy – Mollie Guidera (Hachette Books Ireland)
• The Ghosts of Rome – Joseph O’Connor (Harvill, Penguin)

Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year 

• Colm Tóibín
• Donal Ryan
• Elaine Feeney
• John Boyne
• Roisín O’Donnell
• Sarah Maria Griffin

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year

• Every One Still Here – Liadan Ní Chuinn (The Stinging Fly)
• Show Me Where It Hurts – Claire Gleeson (Sceptre)
• Frogs for Watchdogs – Seán Farrell (New Island Books)
• Oddbody – Rose Keating (Canongate)
• Sugartown – Caragh Maxwell (Oneworld)
• The Compound – Aisling Rawle (The Borough Press, HaperCollins)
• The Wardrobe Department – Elaine Garvey (Canongate)
• Thirst Trap – Gráinne O’Hare (Picador, Pan Macmillan)

The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year in association with The Irish Independent 

• Burn After Reading – Catherine Ryan Howard (Bantam, Transworld)
• Fair Play – Louise Hegarty (Picador, Pan MacMillan)
• It Should Have Been You – Andrea Mara (Bantam, Transworld)
• The Killing Sense – Sam Blake (Corvus, Atlantic Books)
• The Secret Room – Jane Casey (Hemlock, HarperCollins)
• The Stolen Child – Carmel Harrington (Headline Review)
• The Stranger Inside – Amanda Cassidy (Canelo Crime)
• Two Kinds of Stranger – Steve Cavanagh (Headline)

WHSmith Popular Fiction Book of the Year in association with Ireland AM

• Before Dorothy – Hazel Gaynor (Harper Fiction, HaperCollins)
• City Girls Forever – Patricia Scanlan (Simon & Schuster)
• Moving On – Roisin Meaney (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Our Song – Anna Carey (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Paper Heart – Cecelia Ahern (Harper Fiction, HaperCollins)
• Releasing 10 – Chloe Walsh (Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group)
• Such a Good Couple – Sophie White (Hachette Books Ireland)
• The In-Laws – Sinéad Moriarty (Sandycove, Penguin)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year - Junior 

• An Fia sa Choill – Sadhbh Devlin illustrated by Anastasia Melnykova (Futa Fata)
• Badger Books – Paddy Donnelly (The O’Brien Press)
• Don’t Trust Fish! – Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (Anderson Press)
• Ellora McGee, Trainee Banshee – Sinéad O’Hart, illustrated by Úna Woods (Gill Books)
• Letters to a Monster – Patricia Forde, illustrated by Sarah Warburton (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
• Once I Was a Tree – Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten (Nosy Crow)
• Penguin TV – Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher (Gill Books)
• Run Home, Little Fox – Tom McCaughren and Erika McGann, illustrated by Shannon Bergin (The O’Brien Press)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Senior 

• Animalopedia – Kathi and John Burke (Gill Books)
• Tales of Darkisle Book One: Conn of the Dead – Dave Rudden, illustrated by Ali Al Amine (Gill Books)
• Granny National – Rachael Blackmore, with Rachel Pierce and illustrated by Tom Snape (Sandycove, Penguin)
• Milly McCarthy and the Haunted House HullaBOOloo! – Leona Forde illustrated by Karen Harte (Gill Books)
• Nina Peanut Epic World Tour Era – Sarah Bowie (Scholastic)
• The Doomsday Club – Kevin Moran (The O’Brien Press)

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

• Any Way You Slice It - Méabh McDonnell (The O’Brien Press)
• Matched Up – Jenny Ireland (Penguin)
• My Name is Jodie Jones – Emma Shevah (David Fickling Books)
• Solo – Gráinne O’Brien (Little Island Books)
• Shipshock – Caroline O’Donoghue (Walker Books)
• The Rebel and the Rose – Catherine Doyle (Simon & Schuster)

Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana 

• An Bhlaosc sa mBois – Michéal Ó Conghaile (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)
• Bódléar – Darach Ó Scolaí (Leabhar Breac)
• Fiche – Colm Ó Ceallacháin (Leabhar Breac)
• Scéalta Nollag – Alan Titley, maisithe ag Firas Aldakkak (LeabhairCOMHAR)

New Irish Writing Best Short Story in association with the Irish Independent

• Carnations – Lorraine Courtney
• Glass Splinters – Kieran Marsh
• Breathing Lessons – Sylvia Caldwell
• That Little Tent of Blue – Mary Shovelin
• All the Birch Trees Were Waving – Pádhraic Quinn
• A Constriction – Eamon McGuinness

New Irish Writing Best Poetry in association with the Irish Independent 

• ‘There’s never a crowd at the poetry section’ – Vincent Barton
• ‘The Tragedy of It’ – Kevin O’Farrell
• ‘The Crows’ and ‘The Leaf’ - Paul McMahon
• ‘Minimum Wage’, ‘South-Eastern Wind’ and ‘Midnight Oil’ – Joanne McCarthy
• ‘Rowan’s furniture. Dublin 1965’ and ‘Carousel’ – Nollaig Rowan
• ‘I Remember Stealing’ and ‘The Visitor’ – Bronagh Mallon 

An Post Bookshop of the Year (in alphabetical order)

• Antonia’s Bookstore, Trim, Co. Meath
• Chapters Bookstore, Dublin 1
• Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, Co. Galway
• The Company of Books, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
• Liber Bookshop, Sligo Town
• The Maynooth Bookshop, Co. Kildare