Elaine Feeney is a writer and poet. Her debut, As You Were, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Irish Novel of the Year Award, and won the Kate O’Brien Award, the McKitterick Prize, and the Dalkey Festival Emerging Writer Award. Her latest novel, How to Build a Boat, is tender, uplifting and brimming with humanity, exploring the story of how one boy and his mission transforms the lives of his teachers, Tess and Tadhg, and brings together a community. How to Build a Boat is shortlisted for Eason Novel of the Year 2023.
Tell us a bit about your latest novel?
How to Build a Boat is a story about a boy, Jamie, who is about to embark on his first year of secondary school in Emory, a fictional town in the west of Ireland. He has one mission, and that is to build a perpetual motion machine to recreate the energy of his dead mother. He meets two teachers at the school, Tess and Tadhg, and together they form a strong bond.
Where did the inspiration for this novel come from? What is the story behind its conception?
The novel was influenced by my son who was about to begin secondary school. It was also inspired by twenty years of teaching in a boy’s secondary school, and the unlikely individuals who speak truth to power in their communities - people I am deeply inspired by.
What do you hope readers will take away from your narrative?
Hope. I think it’s a novel that rallies against the idea that we are strongest individually, and it seeks out a community, building from what they have. There is also a blueprint for building a currach! It was very important for me to preserve this craft, and to pay respect to my people who went before me - though not technically boatbuilders - people who worked the land and made our world with their bare hands. Most of us come from people like this.
How does it feel to be on this shortlist amongst so many other brilliant authors?
I’m very grateful and excited as it will be my first time at the Awards.
Ireland is a literary powerhouse. Why do you think this is?
The oral tradition of storytelling and storytelling as a form of resistance is very important in understanding Irish writing. Also, the history of the Gaeilge and its many iterations feed into a diverse chorus of styles and traditions, and we have a long history of poetry. There are always conversations with the past informing the present. Additionally, the Arts Council has been so important in the support and promotion of Irish writing.
Who are your favourite Irish writers?
All of the dead and most of the living.
What An Post Irish Book Awards shortlisted book is next on your to-be-read pile?
A Woman in Defence by Karina Molloy.

Explore the Eason Novel of the Year Shortlist here.