The An Post Irish Book Awards, one of Ireland’s most distinguished and popular literary events, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with the release of a curated list featuring 60 of the best books from category winners over the past two decades.
Selected through the votes from leading booksellers nationwide, the list comprises 20 Fiction, 20 Non-Fiction and 20 Children’s titles drawn from An Post Irish Book Awards winners since the ceremony first began in 2006.
Books by a wide range of celebrated authors including Seán Ronayne, Emilie Pine, Joseph O’Connor, Emma Donoghue, Peter Donnelly and Catherine Ryan Howard feature on the list, which has been carefully curated to reflect the breadth and impact of Irish writing over the past 20 years. The full list of 60 titles are as follows.
Children’s
- Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian, Eoin Colfer, Puffin
- Asking For It, Louise O’Neill, Quercus
- Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers and Everyday Heroes, Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons, illustrated by Jessica Louis, Little Island Books
- Break the Mould, Sinéad Burke, illustrated by Natalie Byrne, Wren & Rook
- Fia and the Last Snow Deer, Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn, Puffin
- Girls Who Slay Monsters, Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald, HarperCollins Children's Books
- Irelandopedia, Kathi & John Burke, Gill Books
- Knights of the Borrowed Dark, Dave Rudden, Puffin
- Run Home Little Fox, Tom McCaughren & Erika McGann, illustrated by Shannon Bergin, The O'Brien Press
- Savage Her Reply, Deirdre Sullivan, illustrated by Karen Vaughan, Little Island Books
- Shh! We Have a Plan, Chris Haughton, Walker Books
- Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire, Derek Landy, HarperCollins Children's Books
- Solo, Gráinne O'Brien, Little Island Books
- Stand by Me, Judi Curtin, The O'Brien Press
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne, Definitions, Transworld
- The Golden Hare, Paddy Donnelly, The O'Brien Press
- The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Oliver Jeffers, HarperCollins Children's Books
- The Lonely Beast, Chris Judge, Andersen Press
- The President’s Dog, Peter Donnelly, Gill Books
- Wilderness, Roddy Doyle, Scholastic
Fiction
- 56 Days, Catherine Ryan Howard, Corvus, Atlantic Books
- Again, Rachel, Marian Keyes, Penguin Books
- Holding, Graham Norton, Sceptre, Hodder & Stoughton
- It Should Have Been You, Andrea Mara, Penguin Books
- Kala, Colin Walsh, Atlantic Books
- Normal People, Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
- Room, Emma Donoghue, Picador
- Should Have Got Off at Sydney Parade, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, Penguin Books
- Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan, Faber & Faber
- Solar Bones, Mike McCormack, Tramp Press
- Spill Simmer Falter Wither, Sara Baume, Originally published by Tramp Press (February 2015), Paperback edition published by Windmill Books (October 2015)
- The Bee Sting, Paul Murray, Penguin Books
- The Gathering, Anne Enright, Vintage
- The Ghosts of Rome, Joseph O'Connor, Harvill Secker
- The Importance of Being Aisling, Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen, Gill Books
- The Sea, John Banville, Picador
- The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry, Faber & Faber
- The Spinning Heart, Donal Ryan, Black Swan Ireland, Transworld
- Trespasses, Louise Kennedy, Bloomsbury
- Unravelling Oliver, Liz Nugent, Penguin Books
Non-Fiction
- 30 Years at Ballymaloe, Darina Allen, Kyle Books, Hachette
- A Ghost in the Throat, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Tramp Press
- A Thread of Violence, Mark O’Connell, Granta Books
- Atlas of the Irish Revolution, John Crowley, Donál Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo, Cork University Press
- Champagne Football, Mark Tighe & Paul Rowan, Penguin Books
- Connemara: Listening to the Wind, Tim Robinson, Penguin Books
- Constellations, Sinéad Gleeson, Picador
- Country Girl, Edna O’Brien, Faber & Faber
- Diary of a Young Naturalist, Dara McAnulty, Ebury Press
- Judging Dev, Diarmaid Ferriter, Royal Irish Academy
- My Fourth Time, We Drowned, Sally Hayden, 4th Estate, HarperCollins
- Nature Boy: A journey of birdsong and belonging, Seán Ronayne, Hachette Books Ireland
- Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here's the Science, Luke O'Neill, Gill Books
- Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun), Manchán Magan, illustrated by Megan Luddy, Gill Books
- Notes to Self, Emilie Pine, Originally published by Tramp Press (2018), Paperback edition published by Penguin Books (2019)
- Overcoming, Vicky Phelan, with Naomi Linehan, Hachette Books Ireland
- Poor, Katriona O’Sullivan, Penguin Books
- Staring at Lakes, Michael Harding, Hachette Books Ireland
- Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney, Dennis O’Driscoll, Faber & Faber
- We Don't Know Ourselves, Fintan O'Toole, Apollo, Head of Zeus
The public is now invited to vote for their favourite titles from the Top 60 list. Voting will open on Monday, 23rd March and close at 6pm on Monday, 13th April. The final Top 20 Favourite Irish Books of the past 20 years will then be revealed on Sunday, 19th April.
Everyone who votes will be entered into a prize draw, with a range of prizes on offer, including €100 in National Book Tokens, a selection of books from the list, and tickets to the An Post Irish Book Awards 2026 ceremony. Bookshops across Ireland will also support the campaign with special in-store displays celebrating the 60 selected titles.
Alastair Giles, CEO of the Irish Book Awards, says: “Over the past 20 years, the An Post Irish Book Awards has celebrated the depth and diversity of Irish writing. This curated list of 60 books offers a snapshot of some of the most memorable and influential titles recognised by the awards since 2006, reflecting the exceptional talent that has shaped Irish literature over the past two decades. We’re delighted to invite readers across the country to vote for the books that have meant the most to them, and we look forward to revealing the Top 20.”
David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, says: “An Post’s commitment to the Irish Book Awards is steadfast. To celebrate 20 years of the awards we want to showcase the extraordinary breadth of talent in Irish writing which is truly world-class. The top-60 books over the period of the awards have delighted and inspired readers, and this opportunity to revisit them is the best way to celebrate Irish writing”
Since its launch in 2006, the An Post Irish Book Awards has promoted Irish writing to the widest possible readership. Each year it brings together a vibrant community of readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians to recognise the very best of Irish writing. The awards feature a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across 18 categories, including Novel of the Year, Children’s, History, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Non-fiction, Sports, Lifestyle, Short Story, Irish Language, Poetry, Newcomer, Teen and Young Adult, Irish Published and Biography.
Hundreds of books are submitted for consideration each year and, over the past two decades, an array of new and established domestic and international authors have graced the Irish Book Awards stage.
In addition to category winners, a special honour is presented at the event. The Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award recognises the contribution of distinguished Irish writers and poets. Previous recipients include Martin Waddell, Anne Enright, Sebastian Barry, Colm Tóibín, Thomas Kinsella, Eavan Boland, John Montague, J.P. Donleavy, Paul Durcan, John Banville, Maeve Binchy, John McGahern, Edna O’Brien, William Trevor and Séamus Heaney.
