Books by Manchán Magan and illustrator Megan Luddy, Roisín O’Donnell, Joseph O’Connor, Gráinne O’Brien, Andrew Porter and Sarah Corbett Lynch are in the running for the accolade of ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025’.
The six titles competing for the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year Award were drawn from the category winners at the An Post Irish Book Awards, and were chosen on the principle of the highest number of votes secured during the shortlist voting process across all categories.
The six nominated titles are the category winners for the Eason Novel of the Year; Dubray Biography of the Year; The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award; Eason Sports Book of the Year; International Education Services Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy; and TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year:
Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) – Manchán Magan, illustrated by Megan Luddy (Gill Books)
- Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun)is an illustrated book that uses Irish words to explore the rich, lost world of weather wisdom. Authored by Manchán Magan and illustrated by Megan Luddy, it features terms from historical cloud-watchers and stargazers who observed nature for signs of weather changes. It delves into a past wisdom that is still relevant today.
Nesting – Roisín O’Donnell (Sribner Books from Simon & Schuster)
- On an ordinary spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change her life forever. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, she straps her two young daughters into the car and drives away. All she knows is that home is no longer safe. What begins as an escape soon turns into a battle for survival. With little money, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself trapped in a broken housing system, forced to raise her children in a hotel room. As the seasons shift from summer to winter, she faces an impossible choice - rebuild her life from scratch or return to the husband who refuses to let her go.
The Ghosts of Rome – Joseph O’Connor (Harvill, Penguin)
- In February 1944, six months after Nazi forces occupy Rome, Contessa Giovanna Landini works covertly with the Escape Line network known as “The Choir,” smuggling refugees and aiding Allied soldiers while evading the brutal oversight of Gestapo chief Paul Hauptmann. When a mysterious parachutist drops into the city during a fierce air raid and vanishes into Rome’s backstreets - uncertain whether he is friend or foe - his arrival threatens to expose the entire network. As Hauptmann’s unsettling fascination with the Contessa deepens, she becomes entangled in a perilous game of deception whose stakes could prove deadly for her and for The Choir.
Solo – Gráinne O’Brien (Little Island Books)
- This novel in verse follows Daisy, a passionate classical musician whose first love is music and second was David, as she navigates the emotional fallout of a breakup, a best friend’s betrayal, and her father’s illness during her final year of school. Feeling sidelined at home by her twin brothers’ close bond and isolated at school, Daisy struggles to reconnect with the music that once anchored her. But when an unexpected new friendship enters her life, she slowly begins to rediscover her voice, her confidence, and the pieces of herself she feared were lost.
Heart on My Sleeve – Andrew Porter (Eriu)
- From the heartbreak of losing his mother to breast cancer at just 12 years old, to battling mental health struggles throughout his teens, Andrew Porter's journey is one of extraordinary resilience. In this deeply personal and inspiring account, the Irish rugby star opens up about the challenges that shaped him - on and off the pitch. He reflects on the emotional highs and lows of his career, including earning 75 caps for Ireland, winning three Six Nations titles and becoming one of the sport's most respected figures.
A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing – Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette Books Ireland)
- In the early hours of the 2nd August 2015, eight-year-old Sarah Corbett Lynch was carried from her bed by a police officer, unaware that her beloved father, Jason, had been killed by her stepmother Molly Martens and Molly’s father, Tom. In A Time for Truth, Sarah recounts for the first time the hidden reality of life inside their North Carolina household, revealing the manipulation and gaslighting she endured from the only mother she had known. She reflects on the traumatic aftermath of Jason’s death, as she and her brother Jack fought for justice while rebuilding their lives within the safety and love of their family’s home in Limerick. Her story is a powerful testament to devastation, resilience, and the enduring hope that carried her through against all odds.
Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards says:
“Six exceptional titles have been shortlisted for the prestigious An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025. Each one showcases the very best of Irish writing, highlighting the creativity, depth, and talent that define Ireland’s dynamic literary landscape. This year’s finalists range from beautifully illustrated books and gripping fiction to powerful memoirs and outstanding teen and young adult works, reflecting the remarkable diversity of voices and stories that have captivated readers nationwide. I extend my warmest congratulations to all the nominees on this wonderful achievement and wish them every success.”
The overall ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025’ winner will be decided by a distinguished panel of judges, chaired by a five-time Irish Book Awards winner.
The judging panel consists of:
- Paul Howard, Judging Chair – An author, screenwriter, and newspaper columnist, he is best known as the creator of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, whose exploits he has chronicled across 24 novels. Paul is also a former Sports Journalist of the Year and Newspaper Columnist of the Year. As a screenwriter, he contributed to the BAFTA-winning series Bad Sisters on Apple TV and has most recently written for The Young Offenders and the Irish-Canadian co-production Sisters
- Madeleine Keane – Literary Editor of the Sunday Independent, lecturer at University College Dublin and the Irish Writers Centre. She is also Chair of Children’s Books Ireland
- Cyril McGrane – A certified public accountant by profession, Cyril has worked with An Post for the last 27 years, holding a succession of senior roles in retail, operational and logistics management. Cyril is An Post’s key liaison lead with IPC and UPU and he is leading An Post’s Customs 2020 and Brexit programmes
- Sinéad McCorry – With over 30 years’ experience in the book trade, Sinéad is the Retail Manager at Waterstones Ireland, where she has led the brand’s expansion to 12 shops and, more recently, oversaw the ambitious refurbishment of Ireland’s oldest bookshop, Hodges Figgis
- Sara Keating - A reviewer of children’s books for The Irish Times and founder of the Baby Book Club at Dún Laoghaire Libraries - where she served as Writer in Residence at the DLR Lexicon in 2021
One of the six titles will be revealed as the ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025’ during a one-hour television special on RTÉ One hosted by Oliver Callan on Thursday, 11th December at 10:15pm.
Since its inception, the An Post Irish Book of the Year Award has been won by a series of landmark titles which have gone on to become Christmas bestsellers and firm favourites with readers.
Previous winners of the An Post Irish Book of the Year Award include Donal Ryan for Heart, Be At Peace, Paul Murray for The Bee Sting, Sally Hayden for My Fourth Time, We Drowned, Fintan O’Toole for We Don’t Know Ourselves, Doireann Ní Ghríofa for A Ghost in the Throat, the late Vicky Phelan for Overcoming, Emilie Pine for Notes to Self, John Crowley, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo for Atlas of the Irish Revolution, Mike McCormack for Solar Bones, Louise O’Neill for Asking For It, Mary Costello for Academy St, Donal Ryan for The Spinning Heart, Michael Harding for Staring at Lakes, and Belinda McKeon for Solace.
Tune into RTÉ One at 10:15pm on Thursday 11th December to find out who wins the An Post Irish Book of the Year Award 2025
Celebrating its 20th year, the An Post Irish Book Awards continue to champion and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year, the An Post Irish Book Awards bring together a vast community passionate about books – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – to recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent and 2025 is no different.
