Irish female authors dominated An Post's Irish Book Awards last night, with the likes of Sally Rooney, Emilie Pine, Liz Nugent,  Sarah Webb, Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen, Cora Staunton, and Senator Lynn Ruane all winning some of the main prizes.

"This is a really outstanding line-up of winners. It demonstrates the absolute breadth of quality writing we have in Ireland, right across the genre spectrum. It is also great to see so many female writers winning accolades this year," said Maria Dickenson, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards.

"Many of them, including Emilie Pine, Sarah Webb, Lynne Ruane, Cora Staunton and Sally Rooney, are all writing about what it means to be a modern woman in contemporary Ireland and it is striking that these authors used the art of writing to tell their stories in such a truthful and honest way."

While David McRedmond, CEO at An Pos: "All those who encourage new and established writers to persevere in their craft and creativity, enriching our lives and our understanding of each other.”

Well done @emiliepine who has won Newcomer of the Year at the @AnPostIBAS. #APIBAS #IrishBookAwards pic.twitter.com/te5089X90W

— Sinéad Gleeson (@sineadgleeson) November 27, 2018

Here's the full list of winners:

An Post Irish Book Awards 2018 - The Winners:

TheJournal.ie Best Irish Published Book of the Year:

Lighthouses of Ireland by Roger O’Reilly (Collins Press)

National Book Tokens Children’s Book of the Year (Junior)

The President’s Cat by Peter Donnelly (Gill Books)

National Book Tokens Children’s Book of the Year (Senior)

Blazing a Trail by Sarah Webb and Lauren O’Neill (The O’Brien Press)

Dept [email protected] Eason Teen / Young Adult Book of the Year

The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury)

Eason Book Club Novel of the Year

Normal People by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber)

Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year

The Importance of Being Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Gill Books)

Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

Skin Deep by Liz Nugent (Penguin Ireland)

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year

Notes to Self by Emilie Pine (Tramp Press)

Onside Non-Fiction Book of the Year

People Like Me by Lynn Ruane (Gill Books)

Ireland AM Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year

The Cow Book by John Connell (Granta Books)

EUROSPAR Cookbook of the Year

Currabinny Cookbook by James Kavanagh and William Murray (Penguin Ireland)

Bord Gáis Energy Sports Book of the Year

Game Changer by Cora Staunton with Mary White (PRH Transworld Ireland)

RTÉ Radio 1’s The Ryan Tubridy Show Listeners’ Choice Award

Skin Deep by Liz Nugent (Penguin Ireland)

Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year

Birthday by Brian Kirk

Writing,ie Short Story of the Year

How to Build a Space Rocket by Roisin O’Donnell (From The Broken Spiraled by RM Clarke)

The Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year

Tuatha De Denann by Diarmuid Johnson (Leabhar Breac)

 

Backstage at the @AnPostIBAS green room with Sally Rooney, winner of the Novel of the Year #AnPostIBAS #winner pic.twitter.com/0lZpQEvU0L

— An Post Irish Book Awards (@AnPostIBAS) November 27, 2018