Menu
Aoife Moore is an Irish journalist and political correspondent; she won Irish Journalist of the Year in 2021 for breaking the “Golfgate Scandal” for the Irish Examiner. The Long Game, Aoife's first book, is a groundbreaking telling of contemporary Ireland’s biggest and most elusive political story. Sinn Féin is the most popular political party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic; a movement once synonymous with a paramilitary campaign is on the brink of taking real power through purely democratic means. Drawing on exclusive interviews with current and former members of Sinn Féin, Aoife builds up a picture of a party undergoing a profound, and still incomplete, transformation. The Long Game is shortlisted for the Dubray Non-Fiction Book of the Year.
Congratulations on making the shortlist for the Dubray Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award! How does it feel?
I’m totally blown away by it. When I was writing the book I really didn’t know how it would be received, awards were the farthest thing from my mind. I’m so grateful to be shortlisted. To have this honour for my first book, it’s just unbelievable.
Tell us a bit about your shortlisted work?
The book is a history of the people, events, and thought processes that have brought Sinn Féin from the political wing of a paramilitary organisation to the most popular party on the island of Ireland. It begins with the 1981 hunger strike and ends as Sinn Féin stands on the precipice of power. I tried to make it an approachable book; politics turns a lot of people off and/I wanted it to be something that anyone even with a fleeting interest could read.
What drove you to write this book?
I have been vocal for years about the lack of knowledge and understanding of the Troubles and Northern Ireland, especially for young people in Ireland. There hasn’t been a contemporary history of Sinn Féin written in years and I felt I was the right person to do it. When Penguin approached me, I couldn’t turn it down.
What was the research and investigative process like of putting together the book?
It was long and very tough. There is so much written about the Troubles, but there is so much secrecy, fear and false narratives. Finding people willing to speak, going through old newspaper clippings, reading dozens of books, it all took so much work. It took me all over Ireland and to London. It was probably the toughest thing I’ve ever done.
What was the emotional impact of writing it like?
I put a lot of pressure on myself so I was probably my own worst enemy. I found the process of writing tough, but also the subject matter is so sensitive, some of the accounts were so graphic, it took a real toll on my mental health. I would come home from a day at work and then read accounts of people who had been kidnapped by the IRA, or prisoners abused by prison officers, and families grieving for their murdered loved ones. That, paired with the knowledge there would be a predictable onslaught from people who did not like that I wrote the book in the first place, really affected me.
How did you navigate the distance between yourself and your subject? Or alternatively, how did they become intertwined?
I met so many people through writing the book that did some horrific things, and were sorry for them. Some people had lost children or parents, many were living with the real aftereffects of conflict; I felt that the book had to reflect accurately their experiences. I had a lot in common with a lot of the people I interviewed, so it was hard to not worry about what they would think of me after they read it; but you can only report accurately, because the subject is so important.
What is next for you? Is there anything pulling at your attention?
I am keen to do more documentaries and give the book writing a break for a while. During the writing of The Long Game, I swore I would never write another - now that’s starting to wear off. I could maybe be persuaded again!
What An Post Irish Book Awards shortlisted book is next on your to-be-read pile?
The Bee-Sting by Paul Murray. After years of reading non-fiction for research for my book, I am rattling through fiction now and I love it. Paul’s book looks very up my street.
Explore the Dubray Non-Fiction Book of the Year Shortlist here.