Shortlist unveiled for the 2019 An Post Irish Book Awards

Ireland’s major literary event, the An Post Irish Book Awards, returns to celebrate Irish writing across 16 categories. The shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2019, announced today, features a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across sixteen categories, including Novel of the Year, Children’s, Cookery, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Nonfiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry, Teen and Young Adult, and Irish Language.

New this year is the RTÉ Radio 1 Listeners' Choice Award, which features books selected by five of the station's biggest names: Miriam O'Callaghan, Joe Duffy, Sean O'Rourke, Ray D'Arcy and Ryan Tubridy. Each of them have selected their favourite book of the year by an Irish author, which they want readers to vote for.

The An Post Irish Book Awards celebrate and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year it brings together a huge community passionate about books – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – to recognise the very best of Irish writing talent.

“This year’s shortlist is once again a terrific testament to the breadth and depth of Irish writing talent," said Maria Dickenson, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards. "The Irish Book Awards are proud to celebrate the diversity of Ireland’s rich literary culture, and the achievements of all that contribute to this success – including writers, readers, publishers, booksellers and librarians.

“It’s fantastic to see the continued growth of the Irish Book Awards, which reflects the deep love Irish people have for reading and literature, and it’s one of the major highlights of the literary calendar. Each and every category is packed with deserving authors, and we’re looking forward to announcing the winners on 20th November.”

Following its hugely successful first year sponsoring the awards in 2018, An Post has launched its latest #ReadersWanted campaign, celebrating the value and joy of reading and encouraging everyone to pick up more books, more often.

To tie in with the announcement of the An Post Irish Book Awards shortlist, the public are now being asked to cast their votes online for the best books of the year on the An Post Irish Book Awards website. All voters will be entered into a draw to win one of four €100 National Book Tokens vouchers. Votes may be cast until 13th November and the winners will be announced at the gala ceremony in the Convention Centre Dublin, Spencer Dock, on Wednesday, 20 November. Highlights of the awards event, presented by Miriam O’Callaghan, will be will be broadcast on RTÉ One television on Saturday 23rd November, immediately after the Ray D'Arcy Show.

“One of the best things about the shorter, colder days and approaching winter is the An Post Irish Book Awards and having more time to get stuck into lots of books from this excellent shortlist of exciting and diverse authors," said David McRedmond, CEO at An Post. "This year, we want even more people of all ages and interests to read more books, more often so you’ll be seeing our #ReadersWanted activity and events in all kinds of places over the coming weeks and months. Good luck to all the shortlisted authors.”

The An Post Irish Book Awards 2019 Shortlist is as follows:

Eason Novel of the Year

Night Boat to Tangier – Kevin Barry (Canongate Books)
Girl – Edna O’Brien (Faber & Faber)
Shadowplay – Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker)
This is Happiness – Niall Williams (Bloomsbury Publishing)
The Narrow Land – Christine Dwyer Hickey (Atlantic Books)
The River Capture – Mary Costello (Canongate Books)

National Book Tokens Popular Fiction Book of the Year

Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Gill Books)
Filter This – Sophie White (Hachette Ireland)
Postscript – Cecelia Ahern (HarperFiction)
When All is Said – Anne Griffin (Hodder & Stoughton)
Schmidt Happens – Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (Penguin Ireland)
Seven Letters – Sinéad Moriarty (Penguin Ireland)

Bookselling Ireland Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Elsewhere – Rosita Boland (Doubleday Ireland)
Heroic Failure – Fintan O’Toole (Head of Zeus)
Republic of Shame – Caelainn Hogan (Penguin Ireland)
Constellations – Sinéad Gleeson (Picador)
The Border: The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Politics – Diarmaid Ferriter (Profile Books)
The Education of an Idealist – Samantha Power (William Collins)

Ireland AM Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year

My Crazy World – Christy Dignam with Damian Corless (Simon & Schuster)
Overcoming – Vicky Phelan with Naomi Linehan (Hachette Ireland)
Barefoot Pilgrimage – Andrea Corr (HarperNonFiction)
The Personals – Brian O’Connell (HarperNonFiction)
Live While You Can – Fr Tony Coote (Hachette Books Ireland)
The Making of a Detective – Pat Marry (Penguin Ireland)

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year

Leonard & Hungry Paul – Rónán Hession (Bluemoose Books)
Last Ones Left Alive – Sarah Davis-Goff (Tinder Press)
When All is Said – Anne Griffin (Hodder & Stoughton)
Show Them a Good Time – Nicole Flattery (The Stinging Fly Press)
Minor Monuments – Ian Maleney (Tramp Press)
Don’t Touch My Hair – Emma Dabiri (Allen Lane)

TheJournal.ie Best Irish Published Book of the Year

The Great Irish Science Book – Luke O’Neill, illustrated by Linda Fährlin (Gill Books)
Children of the Troubles – Joe Duffy and Freya McClements (Hachette Books Ireland)
Dare to Dream - Irish People Who Took on the World (and Won!) – Sarah Webb, illustrated by Graham Corcoran (The O’Brien Press)
Beautiful Affair – Mike Hanrahan (HarperNonFiction)
Ireland Through Birds: Journeys in Search of a Wild Nation – Conor W. O’Brien (Merrion Press)
A History of Ireland in 100 Words – Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh and Gregory Toner, illustrated by Joe McLaren (Royal Irish Academy)

Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

Rewind – Catherine Ryan Howard (Corvus)
Cruel Acts – Jane Casey (HarperFiction)
The Chain – Adrian McKinty (Orion)
Twisted – Steve Cavanagh (Orion)
The Wych Elm – Tana French (Viking)
The Hiding Game – Louise Phillips (Hachette Ireland)

Avoca Cookbook of the Year

Cornucopia: The Green Cookbook – Tony Keogh, Aoife Carrigy, the Chefs of Cornucopia, Deirdre and Dairine McCafferty (Gill Books)
Clever Batch – Susan Jane White (Gill Books)
One Pot Feeds All – Darina Allen (Kyle Books)
Clodagh’s Suppers – Clodagh McKenna (Kyle Books)
From the Oven to the Table – Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley)
Donal’s Super Food in Minutes – Donal Skehan (Yellow Kite)

Bord Gáis Energy Sports Book of the Year

About That Goal - The Official Autobiography of Seamus Darby – Seamus Darby with PJ Cunningham (Ballpoint Press)
Recovering – Richie Sadlier with Dion Fanning (Gill Books)
All In – Jamie Heaslip with Matt Cooper (Gill Books)
Something in the Water: How Skibbereen Rowing Club Conquered the World – Kieran McCarthy (Mercier Press)
Camouflage - My Story – Eoin Larkin with Pat Nolan (Reach Sport)
The Dublin Marathon - Celebrating 40 Years – Sean McGoldrick (The O’Brien Press)

RTÉ Radio One Listeners’ Choice Award

Night Boat to Tangier – Kevin Barry (Canongate Books) - Championed by Joe Duffy
Girl – Edna O’Brien (Faber & Faber) - Championed by Sean O’Rourke
Shadowplay – Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker) - Championed by Ryan Tubridy
Overcoming – Vicky Phelan with Naomi Linehan (Hachette Books) – Championed by Ray D’Arcy
Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Gill Books) – Championed by Miriam O’Callaghan

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year (Junior)

The President’s Surprise – Peter Donnelly (Gill Books)
Boot: Small Robot, Big Adventure – Shane Hegarty, illustrated by Ben Mantle (Hachette Children’s Group)
Don’t Worry Little Crab – Chris Haughton (Walker Books)
Tiny and Teeny – Chris Judge (Walker Books)
123 Ireland! – Aoife Dooley (Little Island Books)
Take Five – Niall Breslin, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey (Gill Books)

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year (Senior)

Family Fun Unplugged – Peter Cosgrove (Penguin Ireland)
The Lost Tide Warriors – Catherine Doyle (Bloomsbury Publishing)
A Strange Kind of Brave – Sarah Moore Fitzgerald (Hachette Children’s Group)
Gordon’s Game – Gordon D’Arcy and Paul Howard (Penguin Ireland)
Shooting for the Stars - My Journey to Become Ireland’s First Astronaut – Norah Patten, illustrated by Jennifer Farley (The O’Brien Press)
Lily at Lissadell – Judi Curtin (The O’Brien Press)

Dept 51@Eason Teen / Young Adult Book of the Year

Toffee – Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury Publishing)
All the Invisible Things – Orlagh Collins (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Perfectly Preventable Deaths – Deirdre Sullivan (Bonnier Books UK)
Other Words for Smoke – Sarah Maria Griffin (Titan Books)
The M Word – Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury Publishing)
All the Bad Apples – Moïra Fowley-Doyle (Puffin)

Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year

Salt Rain – Audrey Molloy (Mslexia, September 2019)
The Kerchief – Christine Broe (Poetry Ireland and Trócaire Poetry Competition 2019)
Pine Box in the Flea Market – Dean Browne (The Stinging Fly, Summer 2019)
Dear Sean – Paul McMahon (The North - Special Irish Issue)

Writing.ie Short Story of the Year

Parrot – Nicole Flattery (The Stinging Fly, Issue 39, Volume 2, Winter 2018-19)
A Real Woman – Orla McAlinden (Full of Grace, published by Red Stag)
Mother May I – Amy Gaffney (HCE Review, Volume 3, Issue 1)
Sparing the Heather – Louise Kennedy (Banshee, Issue 8)
Balloon Animals – Laura-Blaise McDowell (Still Worlds Turning, published by No Alibis Press)
The Lamb – Andrea Carter (Counterparts: A Synergy of Law and Literature, The Stinging Fly Press)

The Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year

Gáire in Éag – Seán Ó Muireagáin (Éabhlóid)
Gráinne Gaiscíoch Gael – Siobhán Parkinson (Cois Life)
Mar a Bhí ar dTús – Joe Steve Ó Neachtain (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)
Tairngreacht – Proinsias Mac a’Bhaird (LeabhairComhar)
Cití na gCártaí – Réaltán Ní Leannáin (Cois Life)
An Tromdhámh – Feargal Ó Béarra (Leabhar Breac)