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2025 has been an extraordinary year for Irish writing. From historical thrillers set in wartime Rome to deeply personal memoirs of loss and resilience, from verse novels that capture teenage heartbreak to illustrated celebrations of Irish language and nature, the winners of the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025 showcase the remarkable breadth of Irish literature today.
It's no surprise that award-winning Irish books continue to captivate readers worldwide. Our storytelling tradition balances wit with melancholy, finding comedy in tragedy and beauty in bleakness.
Whether you're drawn to gripping crime fiction, real-life stories, inspiring sports memoirs or beautifully crafted children's books, this year's winners prove that Irish writing remains as powerful and relevant as ever.
Joseph O'Connor's The Ghosts of Rome won both The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award 2025 and the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025. Set in Nazi-occupied Rome in February 1944, Contessa Giovanna Landini works covertly with 'The Choir', an Escape Line network smuggling refugees and aiding Allied soldiers whilst evading brutal Gestapo oversight. When a mysterious parachutist drops into the city and vanishes into Rome's backstreets, his arrival threatens to expose the entire network. O'Connor, an acclaimed and award-winning author, delivers a masterclass in tension and historical atmosphere that transports you straight into the heart of wartime Italy.
Roisín O'Donnell's Nesting won the Eason Novel of the Year 2025, and it's easy to see why. On an ordinary spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that changes everything. She grabs clothes from the washing line, straps her daughters into the car and drives away from a home that's no longer safe. What begins as escape becomes a desperate battle for survival as she finds herself trapped in a broken housing system, forced to raise her children in a hotel room. O'Donnell's unflinching debut explores maternal resilience, the housing crisis and how quickly lives can unravel. This one lingers long after the final page.
Jacqueline Connolly's Deadly Silence, written with journalist Kathryn Rogers, won the 2025 Irish Book Week Non-Fiction Book of the Year. In August 2016, Jacqueline's sister Clodagh and her three sons Liam, Niall and Ryan were killed by their husband and father. This heartbreaking account exposes the manipulation and coercive control behind a tragedy that shocked the nation, revealing critical failures in the initial garda investigation. Jacqueline's determination to uncover what really happened and challenge our understanding of domestic violence makes this essential reading. It's a book that could save lives.
Sarah Corbett Lynch's A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing won the Dubray Biography of the Year 2025. In the early hours of 2nd August 2015, eight-year-old Sarah 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. Her memoir recounts the hidden reality of life inside their North Carolina household, the manipulation she endured, and her fight for justice alongside her brother Jack as they rebuilt their lives in Limerick. Resilience, hope and the enduring bonds of family shine through this devastating story.
Andrew Porter's Heart on My Sleeve won the 2025 Eason Sports Book of the Year. From losing his mother to breast cancer at just 12 years old to battling mental health struggles throughout his teens, the Irish rugby star opens up about the challenges that shaped him both on and off the pitch. With 75 caps for Ireland and three Six Nations titles to his name, Porter reflects on the emotional highs and lows of becoming one of rugby's most respected figures. This is the story behind the player you see on match day. Inspiring, honest and deeply moving.
Manchán Magan and illustrator Megan Luddy's Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) won TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year 2025. This gorgeously illustrated book uses Irish words to explore the rich, lost world of weather wisdom, featuring terms from historical cloud-watchers and stargazers who observed nature for signs of change. It delves into past wisdom that remains startlingly relevant in our age of climate crisis. Beautiful, thoughtful and quintessentially Irish, it's a book that makes you see the world differently.
Andrea Mara's It Should Have Been You won The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year 2025, in association with the Irish Independent. Mara has firmly established herself as one of Ireland's finest crime writers, crafting domestic suspense that keeps you second-guessing every character and motive. This thriller delivers all the tension and surprises you'd hope for, keeping you turning pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers with an Irish edge.
Cecelia Ahern's Paper Heart won the 2025 WHSmith Popular Fiction Book of the Year, in association with Ireland AM. Ahern continues to captivate readers with her signature blend of emotion, warmth and storytelling magic that's made her a global phenomenon. If you've loved her previous work, this delivers everything you'd hope for and more. It's the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place.
Nicola Pierce's Great Irish Wives won the Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year 2025. Pierce shines a spotlight on the remarkable women who shaped Irish history, bringing their stories out of the shadows and into the light where they belong. From political powerhouses to cultural icons, these are the women whose contributions have been overlooked for far too long. Essential reading for anyone who wants the full picture of Ireland's past.
Kathi and John Burke's Animalopedia won the 2025 Specsavers Children's Book of the Year (Senior). This father-daughter duo explores Ireland's animals by habitat, weaving in myths, legends and folklore along the way. With Kathi's beautiful illustrations and fascinating facts about everything from red squirrels to seals, it's a book that sparks lifelong curiosity about Irish wildlife. Perfect for budding naturalists and mythology enthusiasts alike.
Tom McCaughren and Erika McGann's Run Home, Little Fox, illustrated by Shannon Bergin, won the 2025 Specsavers Children's Book of the Year (Junior). A charming adventure perfect for younger readers discovering the joy of storytelling and the magic of Irish wildlife.
Gráinne O'Brien's Solo won the 2025 International Education Services Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy. This verse novel follows Daisy, a passionate classical musician whose first love is music and second was David. As she navigates a brutal breakup, a best friend's betrayal and her father's illness during her final school year, she struggles to reconnect with the music that once anchored her. When unexpected friendship enters her life, she slowly rediscovers her voice, her confidence and the pieces of herself she feared were lost. Raw, lyrical and achingly real, this is one for anyone who's ever felt completely adrift.
Sophie Morris's Sophie's Swaps won the Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year 2025. Morris offers practical advice and inspiration for living more sustainably without sacrificing style, comfort or enjoyment. If you're looking to make positive changes but don't know where to start, this is your roadmap.
Darach Ó Scolaí's Bódléar won the 2025 Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana, celebrating the best of contemporary Irish-language fiction and proving that storytelling in Irish is as vibrant as ever.
Pádhraic Quinn won the 2025 New Irish Writing Best Short Story, in association with the Irish Independent, for All the Birch Trees Were Waving, whilst Vincent Barton won the 2025 New Irish Writing Best Poetry for There's never a crowd at the poetry section. Both pieces showcase the vibrant future of Irish writing and the fresh voices emerging on the literary scene.
Claire Gleeson's Show Me Where It Hurts won the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year. This debut announces an exciting new talent on the Irish literary scene, perfect for readers seeking new Irish authors to follow and support.
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