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After a blistering first year of An Post’s sponsorship, we at the Irish Book Awards are absolutely committed to strengthening our partnership and advancing our shared goal to spread the word about Irish books, Irish authors, and our uniquely successful literary culture. By every available metric, the 2018 awards were the most successful ever and this year, with your help, we plan to build on that platform. At a time when Irish writing has never been more popular at home and abroad, we are delighted to bring you the titles which have been nominated for the 2019 An Post Irish Book Awards shortlists. The range and quality on this year’s shortlists is staggering and we urge you to use these pages as a recommended reading guide. You can vote for your favourite title in each category to be crowned the overall award winner at anpostirishbookawards.ie
Don’t forget to join the conversation on social media
TWITTER & FACEBOOK - @ANPOSTIBAS INSTAGRAM - @ANPOST_IRISHBOOKAWARDS #READERSWANTED 3
VOTE FOR THE BOOK YOU WOULD LIKE TO WIN IN EACH AWARD CATEGORY AT: ANPOSTIRISHBOOKAWARDS.IE AND ENTER THE PRIZE DRAW TO WIN €100 OF NATIONAL BOOK TOKENS VOTING CLOSES 13TH NOVEMBER 2019. FOUR LUCKY VOTERS SELECTED WILL EACH WIN €100 OF NATIONAL BOOK TOKENS. PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
YOU CAN ALSO VOTE ONLINE, FOR YOUR OVERALL AN POST IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM ALL THE CATEGORY WINNERS AFTER THE AWARDS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED IN NOVEMBER VOTING CLOSES 24TH JANUARY 2020. VOTERS WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE DRAW TO WIN €100 OF NATIONAL BOOK TOKENS
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the only gift card welcomed in bookshops across ireland
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EASON
NOVEL OF THE YEAR The international reputation of Irish fiction has never been greater and such was the depth and quality of the submissions, the shortlist for this category could have been filled twice over. Alas, with limited spots available, only six books made it through. Longlisted for the Booker Prize, Kevin Barry’s Night Boat to Tangier demonstrates all of his usual invention and stylistic verve. With Girl, the astonishing Edna O’Brien has produced, in her 89th year, as fine a novel as she has ever written. Joseph O’Connor’s Shadowplay is a spirited and stylish account of Bram Stoker’s tenure at London’s Lyceum Theatre. Niall Williams’s delightfully lyrical This is Happiness has been praised for its fidelity to “the Heaneyesque music of everyday.” Christine Dwyer Hickey’s latest novel is a searing portrait of loneliness, regret, and the American Dream. And finally, Mary Costello’s eagerly-anticipated second novel more than justifies the prepublication excitement.
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6 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Normal People by Sally Rooney Published by Faber & Faber
2017 Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty
2016 Solar Bones by Mike McCormack
2015 The Green Road by Anne Enright
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey
Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor
This is Happiness by Niall Williams
Published by Harvill Secker
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Girl by Edna O’Brien
The River Capture by Mary Costello
Published by Faber & Faber
Published by Canongate Books
Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
Published by Atlantic Books
Published by Canongate Books
anpostirishbookawards.ie 7
national book tokens
popular fiction book OF THE YEAR The National Book Tokens Popular Fiction category invariably yields a fantastic shortlist. Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen are already challenging for the title of Ireland’s most popular literary franchise and the third novel in the series has Aisling stubbornly refusing to kowtow to the notiony aspects of Dublin life. In a World Cup year, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly’s, Schmidt Happens, hits the spot like a head-on Cian Healy collision while Sophie White’s zeitgeisty, Filter This, takes a wide-eyed look at social media and influencer culture. Anne Griffin’s When All is Said has been one of the most successful Irish fiction debuts in years and completing the shortlist are two wonderfully consistent authors, Cecelia Ahern and Sinéad Moriarty. Postscript is the long-awaited sequel to Cecelia’s international bestseller PS, I Love You! Described as Sinéad Moriarty’s finest novel yet, Seven Letters is a searing examination of a family in crisis.
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8 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 The Importance of Being Aisling by Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen
Published by Gill Books
2017 The Break by Marian Keyes
2016 Holding by Graham Norton
2015 The Way We Were by Sinéad Moriarty
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling by Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen Published by Gill Books
Postscript by Cecelia Ahern Published by HarperFiction
When All is Said by Anne Griffin
Filter This by Sophie White
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
Published by Hachette Ireland
Schmidt Happens by Ross O’ Carroll-Kelly
Seven Letters by Sinéad Moriarty
Published by Penguin Ireland
Published by Penguin Ireland
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RTÉ radio 1
listeners’ choice award This year for the first time, five of RTÉ Radio 1’s presenters have nominated their book of the year for the RTÉ Radio 1 Listeners’ Choice Award shortlist. They are each championing a book that has struck a chord with them in the past year and are calling on their listeners to choose which of the five books will win the Listeners’ Choice title. The presenters’ chosen books are:
Joe Duffy: Night Boat To Tangier by Kevin Barry Sean O’Rourke: Girl by Edna O’Brien Miriam O’Callaghan: Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling by Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen Ray D’Arcy: Overcoming by Vicky Phelan with Naomi Linehan Ryan Tubridy: Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor To have your say on the RTÉ Radio 1 Listeners’ Choice award log onto www.rte.ie/culture. Voting opens on October 25th and closes on November 13th.
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10 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Skin Deep by Liz Nugent Published by Penguin Ireland
2017 he: A novel by John Connolly
2016 Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
2015 Irelandopedia by Fatti & John Burke
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry Published by Canongate Books
Overcoming by Vicky Phelan with Naomi Linehan Published by Hachette Ireland
Girl by Edna O’Brien Published by Faber & Faber
Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling by Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen Published by Gill Books
Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor Published by Harvill Secker
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sunday independent
newcomer OF THE YEAR
This shortlist confirms our belief that the supply of new talent emerging from the Irish literary scene seems limitless. Dominated by fiction titles, this year’s shortlist contains three stunning novels, a short story collection, a collection of essays and a memoir, all of which have made a huge impression in 2019. Rónán Hession’s Leonard and Hungry Paul is a charming, warm-hearted celebration of all that is cherishable about everyday life. Anne Griffin’s When All is Said is equally poignant and affecting while Sarah Davis-Goff turns to the dark side in her dystopian fantasy Last Ones Left Alive. Nicole Flattery’s Show Them a Good Time confirms that the Irish short story is alive and well and Ian Maleney’s critically acclaimed Minor Monuments finds him in direct competition with his publisher, Sarah Davis-Goff. Emily Dabiri’s “ground-breaking” Don’t Touch My Hair shows how culture can be understood as an allegory for black oppression and, ultimately, liberation.
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12 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Notes To Self by Emilie Pine Published by Tramp Press
2017 I Found My Tribe by Ruth Fitzmaurice
2016 Red Dirt by E. M. Reapy
2015 Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession
When All is Said by Anne Griffin
Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
Published by Tinder Press
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
Show Them A Good Time by Nicole Flattery
Minor Monuments by Ian Maleney
Published by Allen Lane
Published by The Stinging Fly Press
Published by Bluemoose Books
Published by Tramp Press
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READ, SHARE AND SHAPE THE NEWS
thejournal.ie
best irishpublished book of the year Bringing a book to market is about more than just the words on the page and the shortlisted titles in TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year category have been selected on content but also on other criteria such as the aesthetic quality of the artifact itself, the production values, the photography, the artwork, indeed, on the quality of the whole publishing package. Whether on science, Irish birds, Irish language, Irish music, outstanding Irish achievers, or The Troubles, these are beautiful books that would grace any coffee table or library. In addition to the authors, the books also showcase the exceptional artistic flair of Irish painters, illustrators and photographers. These books are collaborative projects and any book-lover would be delighted to receive any of these magnificent books this Christmas.
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14 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Lighthouses of Ireland by Roger O’Reilly Published by The Collins Press
2017 Atlas of the Irish Revolution by John Crowley, Donál Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy & John Borgonovo
2016 The Glass Shore by Sinéad Gleeson (Editor)
2015 The Long Gaze Back by Sinéad Gleeson (Editor)
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
The Great Irish Science Book by Luke O’Neill & illustrated by Linda Fährlin Published by Gill Books
Ireland Through Birds by Conor W. O’Brien Published by Merrion Press
Children of the Troubles by Joe Duffy & Freya McClements Published by Hachette Books Ireland
Dare to Dream by Sarah Webb & illustrated by Graham Corcoran Published by The O’Brien Press
Beautiful Affair by Mike Hanrahan Published by HarperNonFiction
A History of Ireland in 100 words by Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Gregory Toner & Illustrated by Joe McLaren Published by Royal Irish Academy
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irish independent
crime fiction book OF THE YEAR Walter Mosley said “We are fascinated with stories of crime, real or imagined, because we need them to cleanse the modern world from our souls.” So if you like to be terrified in the controlled environment of your own home with a nice glass of wine to hand, it’s this “controlled fear” you may be responding to. Sure to terrify you this year have been the six outstanding crime novels shortlisted for The Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year. Northern partners-in-crime, Adrian McKinty and Steve Cavanagh, have been responsible for two of the most talked-about books of the year, The Chain and Twisted, but they will face stiff opposition from four brilliant women crime writers in Tana French, Jane Casey, Louise Phillips and Catherine Ryan Howard, three of whom are past winners of the award. Definitely a tough case to solve - let the investigation begin!
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16 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Skin Deep by Liz Nugent Published by Penguin Ireland
2017 The Therapy House by Julie Parsons
2016 The Trespasser by Tana French
2015 After The Fire by Jane Casey
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
Cruel Acts by Jane Casey
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
Published by Corvus
Published by HarperFiction
Published by Orion
Twisted by Steve Cavanagh
The Wych Elm by Tana French
The Hiding Game by Louise Phillips
Published by Orion
Published by Viking
Published by Hachette Ireland
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The An Post International Recognition Award
GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
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18 Head To the website FOR MORE INFORMATION
The An Post International Recognition Award honours international writers who have contributed substantially to the health and wealth of the Irish book-trade. The award is reserved for distinguished authors with a large corpus of popular work; whose books have sales figures counted in the millions; who have demonstrated great staying power, and endeared themselves to Irish booksellers throughout their long careers. This year’s recipient satisfies all of these criteria and he is George R. R. Martin. Game of Thrones has become much more than a landmark series of books. Game of Thrones has been elevated to the ultimate pantheon of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. It has become an iconic artifact of popular culture and looms large in the collective imagination of millions of fans, not least in Ireland, and in particular in Northern Ireland, now known as The Home of Thrones.
For all of those reasons, we were delighted to present George R. R. Martin with The An Post International Recognition Award for 2019 in a special presentation event on 20th August 2019. Speaking before an audience at the GPO, which he dubbed “Ireland’s Alamo” in reference to the 1916 Easter Rising, Martin spoke of the importance of understanding history, even when writing fiction. “We are living in perilous times”, he continued, citing the political situations in both the US and the UK, adding that we must learn from our history in order not to repeat it and that he often wakes up wondering what part of history we are about to repeat. The large audience of special guests were delighted to discover that George R. R. Martin turned out to be as wonderfully entertaining in person as he is on the page.
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anpostirishbookawards.ie 19
Ireland AM
popular non-fiction book of the year Previous Winners Christy Dignam and Andrea Corr are among the most cherished of Irish musicians. Christy’s My Crazy World reveals a troubled life of excess and devotion to his music while Andrea’s Barefoot Pilgrimage reflects on family, music, creativity and her own unlikely journey through the music industry. Brian O’Connell’s The Personals is a compelling collection of stories about the people and the lives behind the small ads. In The Making of a Detective Pat Marry offers unique insights into the work of a dedicated garda operating at the very top of his profession. Live While You Can is Fr. Tonny Coote’s inspiring, life-affirrming account of finding joy in dark times and living in the now while Vicki Phelan’s Overcoming offers breathtaking reflections from a reluctant warrior/ survivor whose system-changing activism on the CervicalCheck screening scandal has made her a household name and a true Irish hero.
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20 Vote for your favourite title on the website
2018 The Cow Book by John Connell Published by Granta Books
2017 Motherfoclóir by Darach Ó Séaghdha
2016 Making It Up As I Go Along by Marian Keyes
2015 Me and My Mate Jeffrey by Niall Breslin
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
My Crazy World by Christy Dignam with Damian Corless
Overcoming by Vicky Phelan with Naomi Linehan
Published by Simon & Schuster
Published by Hachette Ireland
The Personals by Brian O’Connell
Live While You Can by Fr. Tony Coote
Published by HarperNonFiction
Published by Hachette Books Ireland
Barefoot Pilgrimage by Andrea Corr Published by HarperNonFiction
The Making of a Detective by Pat Marry Published by Penguin Ireland
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Bookselling ireland
non-fiction book of the year The non-fiction category shortlist is the most high-powered we’ve had in years. In Elsewhere, Rosita Boland celebrates a lifetime of travelling the world in a manner reminiscent of the great Dervla Murphy. Sinéad Gleeson’s Constellations is more than a collection of essays on illness, it’s a powerful piece of advocacy and a constellation of piercing insights into the human condition. In Heroic Failure, Fintan O’Toole offers perhaps the best and most widely admired critique of Brexit with his signature wit and acuity. On a similar note, historian Diarmaid Ferriter traces the legacy of a century of Anglo-Irish politics in The Border. Caelainn Hogan’s Republic of Shame is a devastating account of the Church’s treatment of Irish women during its dominant period in Irish life. Completing the shortlist is Dublinborn Samantha Power who rose to become one of the most senior figures in the Obama administration and a major player on the world stage.
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22 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 People Like Me by Lynn Ruane Published by Gill Books
2017 Wounds by Fergal Keane
2016 I Read the News Today, Oh Boy by Paul Howard
2015 Children of the Rising by Joe Duffy
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Elsewhere by Rosita Boland
Heroic Failure by Fintan O’Toole
Republic of Shame by Caelainn Hogan
Published by Doubleday Ireland
Published by Head of Zeus
Published by Penguin Ireland
Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson
The Border by Diarmaid Ferriter
Published by Picador
Published by Profile Books
The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power Published by William Collins
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Bord Gáis Energy
sports book of the year Jamie Heaslip was a key figure in a golden era for Irish rugby and in All In he recalls the events, wisdom and personalities that helped propel Ireland to the summit of world rugby. In Recovering, former Ireland star and RTÉ soccer pundit Richie Sadlier recounts his struggles after injury forced early retirement at the age of 24. In About That Goal, Seamus Darby relives the run-up to scoring arguably the most famous goal in the history of Gaelic football. Eoin Larkin’s Camouflage – My Story is a revealing portrait of one of Kilkenny’s most decorated hurling heroes during their period of All-Ireland supremacy. The Dublin Marathon celebrates the 40th running of a unique Irish sporting and cultural event. Olympic rowers Gary and Paul O’Donovan are considered the faces of Irish rowing and Skibbereen Rowing Club is where it all began. Something in the Water reveals how this special club enables locals to excel on the national and international stages.
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24 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Game Changer by Cora Staunton Published by Transworld Ireland
2017 The Choice by Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly
2016 The Battle by Paul O’Connell
2015 Until Victory Always by Jim McGuinness
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
About That Goal by Seamus Darby with PJ Cunningham
Recovering by Richie Sadlier with Dion Fanning
All In by Jamie Heaslip with Matt Cooper
Published by Ballpoint Press
Published by Gill Books
Published by Gill Books
Something in the Water by Kieran McCarthy
Camouflage - My Story by Eoin Larkin with Pat Nolan
The Dublin Marathon by Sean McGoldrick
Published by Mercier Press
Published by Reach Sport
Published by The O’Brien Press
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Avoca
cookbook of the year For those who struggle with everyday cooking, Susan Jane White’s Clever Batch reveals her kitchen-ninja secrets for those short on time, money and patience. At a time when plant-based eating is more popular than ever, the chefs at Dublin’s popular restaurant, Cornucopia, offer recipes for creating delicious vegetarian meals. In One Pot Feeds All, Darina Allen shows you how to make her trademark tasty, tried and trusted recipes in just one pot. Clodagh McKenna’s expert advice is in high demand. Here she shows how you can create stunning suppers using the very best seasonal produce. Donal Skehan never fails to devise imaginative new ideas and formats for his cookbooks and in Super Food in Minutes he covers fast and delicious family food that just happens to be good for you! Finally, Diana Henry’s From the Oven to the Table shows how the oven can do much of the work that goes into making great food.
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26 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Currabinny Cookbook by James Kavanagh & William Murray Published by Penguin Ireland
2017 Cook Well, Eat Well by Rory O’Connell
2016 The World of the Happy Pear by Stephen & David Flynn
2015 The Virtuous Tart by Susan Jane White
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Cornucopia by Tony Keogh, Aoife Carrigy, the Chefs of Cornucopia, Deirdre & Dairine McCafferty
Clever Batch by Susan Jane White
One Pot Feeds All by Darina Allen
Published by Gill Books
Published by Kyle Books
Clodagh’s Suppers by Clodagh McKenna
From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry
Donal’s Super Food in Minutes by Donal Skehan
Published by Kyle Books
Published by Mitchell Beazley
Published by Yellow Kite
Published by Gill Books
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specsavers
children’s book of the year - junior Peter Donnelly’s President series goes from strength to strength and in the third book it’s the President’s birthday and everyone is preparing a birthday surprise for him. Shane Hegarty’s Boot is a hilarious, warm-hearted story about a small robot on a big adventure. Don’t Worry Little Crab is another delightful picture book from Chris Haughton in which little crab must pluck up the courage to try something new. Continuing the smallness theme, Chris Judge’s Tiny and Teeny presents an immersive miniature world in a heart-warming, original story of community spirit and kindness. Comedian Aoife Dooley’s debut board book, 123 Ireland!, features uniquely Irish images that will inspire giggles and guffaws and a love of all things Irish. In Take Five musician and mindfulness expert Niall Breslin (Bressie) is back with another important life lesson for young children, beautifully brought to life by illustrator Sheena Dempsey.
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30 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 The President’s Cat by Peter Donnelly Published by Gill Books
2017 A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea by Sarah Webb & illustrated by Steve McCarthy
2016 Pigín of Howth by Kathleen Watkins & illustrated by Margaret Anne Suggs
2015 Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer & Oliver Jeffers
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
The President’s Surprise by Peter Donnelly Published by Gill Books
Boot: Small Robot, Big Adventure by Shane Hegarty & illustrated by Ben Mantle Published by Hachette Children’s Group
Tiny and Teeny by Chris Judge
123 Ireland! by Aoife Dooley
Published by Walker Books
Published by Little Island Books
Don’t Worry Little Crab by Chris Haughton Published by Walker Books
Take Five by Niall Breslin & illustrated by Sheena Dempsey Published by Gill Books
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specsavers
children’s book of the year - senior Time to put away your digital device and let your brain do the work! Peter Cosgrove’s Family Fun Unplugged will get any family gathering going or pass hours of fun with friends. In Catherine Doyle’s brilliant sequel to The Storm Keeper’s Island, Fionn Boyle finds himself at the heart of the fight for the island’s survival. Sarah Moore Fitzgerald’s A Strange Kind of Brave is a tale of friendship, betrayal, love, loss, revenge and obsession, written by a master storyteller. The unbeatable half-back pairing of Paul Howard and Gordon D’Arcy brings us Gordon’s Game, an inspiring adventure for rugby lovers of all ages! Norah Patten is on course to become Ireland’s first astronaut and in Shooting for the Stars she tells us everything you need to know about following your dreams. In Judi Curtin’s Lily at Lissadell, Maeve, daughter of Constance Markievicz and niece of the Gore-Booths, comes to visit and an unusual friendship begins between two girls from very different worlds.
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32 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Blazing A Trail by Sarah Webb & Lauren O’Neill Published by The O’Brien Press
2017 Stand by Me by Judi Curtin
2016 Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden
2015 Asking For It by Louise O’Neill
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Family Fun Unplugged by Peter Cosgrove
The Lost Tide Warriors by Catherine Doyle
A Strange Kind of Brave by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald
Published by Penguin Ireland
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Published by Hachette Children’s Group
Gordon’s Game by Gordon D’Arcy & Paul Howard
Shooting for the Stars by Norah Patten & illustrated by Jennifer Farley
Lily at Lissadell by Judi Curtin
Published by Penguin Ireland
Published by The O’Brien Press
Published by The O’Brien Press
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See where your imagination takes you... Specsavers, together with An Post Irish Book Awards 2019, invites you to write a short story inspired by this picture. You could win all the shortlisted books in the Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Award 2019 and ₏1,000 for your school.
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How to enter
Prizes
All you have to do is write a short story based on the themes suggested by this cartoon. Please follow these instructions:
The two winning entrants will receive all of the books shortlisted for the Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Award 2019 and their school libraries will also receive a donation of some of the best Irish books from the last year, plus €1,000 for their school.
• Make sure your story is no longer than 500 words; 250 words are enough if you are under 12 years old • Give your story a title • Write your story (preferably type it) on a sheet of A4 paper and staple it to this form
Entries should be posted to Specsavers Short Story Competition, c/o WHPR, 6 Ely Place, Dublin 2 or submitted online at specsavers.ie/irish-book-awards
• Send your entry to the competition address below Groups of school entries are also welcomed. The closing date for the competition is Monday 18 November 2019. Good luck!
Name
Age
Address
Tel
Parent or guardian’s number Parent or guardian’s email address Story title
COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Competition runs from 14 October 2019 until 18 November 2019 and is open to all Republic of Ireland residents up to the age of 16 (and parent/guardian’s consent is required). This competition is subject to additional terms35 and conditions. Please visit specsavers.ie/irish-book-awards for further details.
dept 51 @ eason
teen & young adult book of the year Previous Winners Two past winners, Brian Conaghan and Deirdre Sullivan, have been selected for the shortlist for 2019. Conaghan’s The M Word is an unforgettable novel about grief and healing and a somewhat inappropriate special friend. Deirdre Sullivan’s Perfectly Preventable Deaths is another slice of the macabre couched in the lyrical prose of a writer of exceptional gifts. Occupying similar terrain are Sarah Maria Griffin’s Other Words for Smoke, a story of a haunted house and the strangest summer ever and Moïra Fowley-Doyle’s All the Bad Apples, a magical realist dive into the hideous heritage of this country as confronted by today’s teenagers. In All the Invisible Things, Orlagh Collins brings us a warm, witty, story about being a young woman and the perils of keeping your heart in hiding. And rounding off a great shortlist, is Children’s Laureate and Carnegie Medal winner, Sarah Crossan, who has single-handedly powered the resurgence of the verse novel. Toffee, her new novel of trauma, grief and belonging, has been described as “profoundly moving.”
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36 Vote for your favourite title on the website
2018 The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan Published by Bloomsbury
2017 Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan & illustrated by Karen Vaughan
watch the awards highlights show on RTÉ one
ThE SHORTLIST
Toffee by Sarah Crossan Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin Published by Titan Books
All the Invisible Things by Orlagh Collins
Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Published by Bonnier Books UK
The M Word by Brian Conaghan
All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Published by Puffin
anpostirishbookawards.ie 37
lo eleabhargaeilge
love leabhar Gaeilge
irish language book of the year With the support of Foras na Gaeilge
Previous Winner 2018 Tuatha Dé Danann by Diarmuid Johnson Published by Leabhar Breac
Gáire in Éag: Scéalta corraitheacha suite i dtréimhse na dTrioblóidí in Éirinn. Ceithre ghearrscéal a thugann léargas daonna ar shaol na cathrach le linn na coimhlinte mar aon le húrscéilín ficsean coireachta. Gráinne Gaiscíoch Gael: Tá iomrá ar Ghráinne Ní Mháille i seanchas na hÉireann, ach nochtann gné eile den bhanlaoch san úrscéal seo. Cuirtear i láthair í ina cruth daonna anseo, fuil agus feoil uirthi. Feictear croí agus anam an bhanlaoich, mar chéile agus mar mháthair, agus na bealaí inar mhúnlaigh an grá, an chrógacht agus an chalaois a saol eachtrúil. Mar a Bhí ar dTús: Déanann Joe Steve Ó Neachtain cur síos sa leabhar seo ar eachtraí óna óige agus é ag fás aníos ar an gCré Dhubh sa Spidéal. Tairngreacht: Rinneadh cur síos ar Phroinsias Mac a’ Bhaird mar ‘Dan Brown na Gaeilge’ nuair a foilsíodh Rún an Bhonnáin sa bhliain 2010 agus is cinnte go bhfuil an bheocht, mistéir agus plotaireacht bhríomhar chéanna, a choinneodh i do shuí mall san oíche thú, san úrscéal nua seo uaidh. Cití na gCártaí: Úrscéal faoi bhean óg as Málta, Katarina, aimsir an Chéad Chogaidh Dhomhanda. Déantar cleamhnas di le saighdiúir Éireannach in arm Shasana, Tomaí. Is as Béal Feirste dó agus é lonnaithe i Málta le linn an chogaidh, ach tá seisean ag dréim le hÉirinn aontaithe mar a gheall Redmond. An Tromdhámh: Scéal iltéamach ilchisealach é Tromdhámh Guaire a bhfuil cuid dá phréamha ag síneadh siar chomh fada leis an seachtú haois, tréimhse a shamhlaítear le triúr dá mhórphearsana, Seanchán Toirpéist féin, Dallán Forgaill, agus Guaire an Oinigh.
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38 Vote for your favourite title on the website
ThE SHORTLIST
Gáire in Éag by Seán Ó Muireagáin Published by Éabhlóid
Tairngreacht by Prionsias Mac a’Bhaird Published by LeabhairComhar
Gráinne Gaiscíoch Gael by Siobhán Parkinson
Mar a Bhí ar dTús by Joe Steve Ó Neachtain
Published by Cois Life
Published by Cló Iar Chonnacht
Cití na gCártaí by Réaltán Ní Leannáin
An Tromdhámh by Feargal Ó Béarra
Published by Cois Life
Published by Leabhar Breac
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writing.ie
short story of the year The Irish short story has a distinctive place in the modern Irish literary tradition. Many award winning novelists have launched their careers with short stories, gaining recognition through a form that the internet has revivified, by providing writers with new places to publish, making their work accessible to millions of readers at the click of a mouse. At the same time, the flourishing of the current crop of Irish literary journals has offered an additional platform for short story writers. The Writing.ie Short Story of the Year Award, was open to short stories of up to 7000 words published between 1st Nov 2018 and 31st October 2019 in any of the following contexts: a collection of short stories by a single author; an anthology of short stories; or an established journal or magazine, digital or print.
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40 visit writing.ie & Vote for your favourite title
Previous Winners 2018 How to Build a Space Rocket by Roisin O’Donnell
2017 Back to Bones by Christine Dwyer Hickey
2016 The Visit by Orla McAlinden
2015 A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan
2014 Rest Day by John Boyne
2013 The Things We Lose The Things We Leave Behind by Billy O’Callaghan
read all six short stories online at writing.ie
ThE SHORTLIST
Parrot by Nicole Flattery
A Real Woman by Orla McAlinden
Mother May I by Amy Gaffney
From The Stinging Fly, Issue 39 Volume 2, Winter 2018-19
From Full of Grace, published by Red Stag
From HCE Review, Volume 3, Issue 1
Sparing the Heather by Louise Kennedy
Balloon Animals by Laura-Blaise McDowell
The Lamb by Andrea Carter
From Banshee issue #8
From Still Worlds Turning, published by No Alibis Press
From Counterparts: A Synergy of Law and Literature, The Stinging Fly Press
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listowel writers’ week
poem of the year Seamus Heaney once said that “What awards give you is a sense of solidarity with the poetry guild; sustenance coming from the assent of your peers on the judging panel.” The maxim would certainly apply to the Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year which since its inception has highlighted the work of many fine Irish poets chosen by Listowel’s judging panels. The Award is open to poems of up to 70 lines published between 1st November 2018 and 31st October 2019 in any of the following contexts: a collection of poems by a single Irish Poet; an anthology of poetry; or an established journal or magazine. As ever, the quality of poetry from the shortlisted writers is genuinely fresh and impressive.
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42 Vote for your favourite title on the website
Previous Winners 2018 Birthday by Brian Kirk
2017 Seven Sugar Cubes by Clodagh Beresford Dunne
2016 In Glasnevin by Jane Clarke
read all four poems online at writersweek.ie
ThE SHORTLIST
Pine Box in the Flea Market by Dean Browne
The Kerchief by Christine Broe
From The Stinging Fly, Summer 2019
From Poetry Ireland & Trรณcaire Poetry Competition 2019
Dear Sean by Paul McMahon
Salt Rain by Audrey Molloy
From The North Special Irish Issue
From Mslexia, September 2019
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The An Post Irish Book Awards
bob hughes Lifetime Achievement Award 2019
Colm Tóibín The Board of the An Post Irish Book Awards are to confer upon Colm Tóibín their Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019. The Award will be presented at the annual Gala Awards Dinner in Dublin on the night of November 20th. Colm Tóibín has occupied a central position in the cultural life of Ireland for over three decades. From the pioneering journalism of MacGill in the 1980s, to his steady ascent to the pinnacle of Irish literature, and on through his distinguished career in US academia, he has remained a
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44 Head To the website FOR MORE INFORMATION
quintessentially Irish writer greatly beloved in his own country for his work, his intellect, his wit and his warm disposition. In a literary career that has delivered nine novels, two short story collections and going on twenty books of travel, criticism, essays and anthologies,Tóibín has been in the van of Ireland’s contemporary literary renaissance and Irish booksellers owe as much to Colm Tóibín as to any other writer. Booksellers, like readers and critics, have favourite writers. Any
Image © Brigitte Lacombe
book sold keeps Yeats’s “greasy till” chiming but there are certain writers whose work booksellers actively enjoy hand-selling to their customers. Booksellers warm to authors who fulfil the peripheral demands of public profile and trade interaction with good grace. It is those good friends of the book trade that our Lifetime Achievement Award is designed to honour and no writer has been a greater friend to Irish booksellers than Colm Tóibín who will join a host of other distinguished recipients of the Lifetime Achievement
Award including Thomas Kinsella, Eavan Boland, John Montague, JP Donleavy, Paul Durcan, John Banville, Maeve Binchy, John McGahern, Edna O’ Brien, William Trevor, Seamus Heaney and Jennifer Johnston. For all of these reasons, the Board of the An Post Irish Book Awards are delighted to present the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award to Colm Tóibín.
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Designed to celebrate Irish published books, Irish authored books and Irish interest books, as well as the wonderful bookshops in which to buy them, the initiative came about last year as a collaboration between Bookselling Ireland and Publishing Ireland to showcase the strength of Irish writing today.
Throughout Irish Book Week there will be events across the country, celebrating Irish books and the central role bookshops play in Irish society and culture. The week aims to encourage people into their local bookshop, and to highlight the important role bookshops play in the fabric of Irish life – fostering cultural creativity, community spirit and generating economic activity. Pop into your local bookshop for more info.
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After global warming came the Melting. Then came Ark. The new dictator wants to destroy language. Out in the woods, the rebels are fighting to save the children of Ark from being silenced forever. www.littleisland.ie
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We want more commuters missing their stop. We want more crime on public transport. We want more torches under duvets. More minds altered in coffee shops. And more life stories in the pub. As proud sponsors of the Irish Book Awards, We want more readers.
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