The winners of the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 will be announced tonight at a ceremony in the Convention Centre, Dublin.
Now in its 18th year, the An Post Irish Book Awards celebrate and promote Irish writing, bringing together an extended community passionate about books – comprising of readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – to recognise the very best of Irish writing talent.
The shortlist for 2023 features a diverse mix of writing from new and established Irish writers across 19 categories. View the shortlist in full below.
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 and Biography.
In a bumper year for Irish writing, fiction authors on this year's shortlist include previous winners such as Sebastian Barry, Claire Keegan, Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen, Anne Enright and Liz Nugent alongside newcomers Aoife Fitzpatrick, Molly Hennigan, Michael Magee and Colin Walsh, as well as Booker Prize 2023 shortlisted writers Paul Murray and Paul Lynch.
An eclectic mix of nominated non-fiction writers in the mix include Dr Tony Holohan, Liam Brady, P.J. Gallagher, Roz Purcell, Matt Cooper and Pat Spillane.
Newcomer of the Year category at the An Post Irish Book Awards
A TV special announcing the overall 'An Post Irish Book of the Year’ winner will be broadcast on RTÉ One on 6th December.
Thepopular #ReadersWanted online campaign will also continue this year, encouraging people to read more books.
An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 - the shortlist:
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)
The Lamplighters of the Phoenix Park
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)
and Leon Diop (Black & Irish)
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)
Joanna Donnelly (From Malin Head to Mizen Head)
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)
and Richard Hogan (Home Is Where The Start Is)
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)
is also shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize
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 category
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
A Legacy to Seven Men I’ve Loved – Audrey Molloy
Table Two – Owen Gallagher
Lullaby Before Leaving – Theodore Deppe
Vectors in Kabul – Mary O’Donnell
An Post Bookshop of the Year
Bridge Books Dromore, Co. Down
Bridge Street Books, Wicklow
Halfway Up the Stairs, Greystones, Wicklow
Liber, Sligo
Maynooth Bookshop, Kildare
O’Mahony’s Booksellers, Limerick
