An Post Irish Book Awards Shortlist 2026

The shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2026 features a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across a range of categories.

Authors on the shortlist include Maggie O'Farrell, Liz Nugent, Colm Tóibin, Paul Howard, Donal Ryan, Kyla Cobbler and many, many more…

Winners will be announced at awards ceremony in the Convention Centre, Dublin on Tuesday, December 1st.

Vote for your favourite books and authors of the year 

TV programme announcing the overall ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year’ winner will be broadcast on RTÉ ONE on Thursday, December 10th.

The full shortlist is as follows:

Best Irish-published Book of the Year

• Seeing What's Hidden - Manchán Magan (Gill Books) 
• The Story of Us - John Gibney & Orlaith McBride  (Irish Academic Press) 
• A History of Irish Sport in 100 Objects - Siobhán Doyle (Merrion Press)
• An Asylum for My Affections, Sketches of Maeve Brennan - Molly Hennigan, editor (New Island Books) 
• A Letter Home - Kerby A. Miller and Breandán MacSuibhne (Gill Books) 
• Birdstyle - Gordon D'Arcy (Dingle Publishing) 

History Book of the Year

• The Plot Against Ireland: The Forger, Spies, Conmen and Terrorists Who Conspired Against Irish Home Rule - Myles Dungan (Head of Zeus / Apollo)
• The Story of Us - John Gibney & Orlaith McBride (Irish Academic Press)
• A History of Ireland in 100 Stamps - Max Barrett (The O'Brien Press) 
• A Rebel and a Traitor - Rory Carroll (HarperNonFiction) 
• Catalpa - Michael B. Barry (Gill Books)
• The Fallen: The Magdalene Laundries and Ireland's Legacy of Silence - Louise Brangan (The Bodley Head, VINTAGE - PRH)

Biography of the Year 

• Home Economics - A Memoir - Caitríona Lally (New Island Books)
• John McGahern: A Writing Life - Frank Shovlin (Faber) 
• No One Tells You - The Last Years of Edna O'Brien - Carlo Gébler (New Island Books) 
• Charles Haughey: Glory, Greed and Guns - Vincent Browne (Eriu) 
• Hungry: A biography of my body - Katriona O'Sullivan (Hachette Books Ireland) 
• A Bigger Life - Louise O'Neill (HQ)
• Not The Perfect Victim - Nikita Hand (Hachette Books Ireland) 
• Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir - edited by Ronan McGreevy (Eriu) 

Nonfiction Book of the Year 

• Said the Dead - Doireann Ní Ghríofa (Faber)
• The Most Normal Woman: Essays on Appearances - Roisin Kiberd (Tramp Press) 
• Opening Night - Sara Baume (Granta)
• This is Also a Love Story - Sally Hayden (4th Estate)
• A Sheepdog Named Oscar - Dara Waldron (Simon & Schuster)
• A Hosting: Interviews with Irish Writers 1991-2026 - Martin Doyle (The Lilliput Press) 

Lifestyle Book of the Year

• Best of Ireland: An Insider Guide to the Real Ireland - Cassie Stokes (DK) 
• Sophie's Swaps Homemade Wins - Sophie Morris (DK)
• Finding Joy - Dearbhla Mescal (Eriu)
• Happy, Thank You. More, Please: How I got grateful, stayed mortified, and learned to trust the universe - Kyla Cobbler (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Eva Pau's Asian Cookbook - Eva Pau (murdoch books/A&U)
• Now You Are Wonderful: A celebration of age, freedom and wisdom - Mary Kennedy (Hachette Books Ireland)

Sports Book of the Year

• My Greatest Race - Ciara Mageean, Ghost writer - Clíona Foley (Gill Books) 
• All In - Peter O'Mahony , Ghost writer - Dion Fanning (Sandycove)
• The Lost Sportswriter - Vincent Hogan (Gill Books) 
• Mackey and Ring  Arthur - James O'Dea (Gill Books)
• The Walls - James McClean, Ghost writer - Daniel McDonnell (Sandycove)
• Zeebs: my Autobiography - Simon Zebo, Karen Owen, illus. Jenny Taylor (Eriu)

Listeners' choice Award

• Stations - Louise Kennedy (Bloomsbury)
• The Land - Maggie O’Farrell (Tinder Press - Headline Publishing Group)
• Experts In A Dying Field - Patrick Freyne (Sandycove) 
• Be Like The Sea - Marie Gleeson (Gill)
• White Lines - Ryan Caldwell (Hachette)
• Brian Cowen, Anatomy Of A Taoiseach - Gary Murphy (Eriu) 
• Hungry - Katriona O’Sullivan (Hachette) 
• Imitation Games - Darragh McGee (Vintage)

Author of the year

• The News from Dublin - Colm Toibin (Picador)
• Said the Dead - Doireann Ni Ghriofa (Faber)
• The Truth About Ruby Cooper - Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
• The Upside-Down Lighthouse - Paddy Donnelly (O'Brien)
• Deerheart - P.J. Lynch with Eoin Colfer    (Walker)
• This is Also a Love Story - Sally Hayden (HC)

Newcomer of the Year

• All Them Dogs - Djamel White (John Murray Group/John Murray)
• Esther is Now Following You - Tanya Sweeney (Bantam, Transworld PRH) 
• The Visit - Neil Tully (Eriu)
• The Ballad of Ronan McCoy - Colin Morgan (HQ)
• Wild Iris -Ruth McKee (Dedalus Ireland)
• Somewhere - Jessamine O'Connor (The Lilliput Press)
• The Lies Between Us - Jen Bray (Sandycove)
• The Long Way Home - Helen Dwyer (Poolbeg) 

Crime Fiction Award

• The Truth About Ruby Cooper - Liz Nugent (Sandycove)
• Everything She Didn't Say - Jane Casey (Hemlock Press)
• One of Us Is Guilty - Steve Cavanagh (Headline)
• Such a Nice Girl - Andrea Mara (Bantam, Transworld PRH)
• In Glass Houses - Edel Coffey (Little, Brown Book Group/Sphere)
• The Keeper - Tana French (Penguin Books/ Viking Fiction)
• Never To Be Found - Jo Spain - (Bonnier Books UK / Zaffre)
• If These Walls Could Talk - Michelle McDonagh (Hachette Books Ireland)

Novel of the Year

• Land - Maggie O'Farrell  (Tinder Press - Headline Publishing Group)
• Stations - Louise Kennedy (Bloomsbury Circus) 
• All Them Dogs - Djamel White (John Murray Group/John Murray)
• Where Are the Kings - Donal Ryan (Doubleday) 
• Other People's Lives - Kathleen MacMahon (Sandycove) 
• The Newer World - Sebastian Barry (Faber)
• Few and Far Between - Jan Carson (Doubleday)
• The Weight of Angels - John Boyne (Doubleday) 

Popular Fiction Book of the Year

• A Nation Once Again - Paul Howard (Sandycove)
• The Expectation - A O'Connor (Poolbeg) 
• Love Scene - Anna Carey (Hachette Books Ireland)
• Our Deadly Summer - Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• The Mini Breakers - Lucy Kennedy (Eriu)
• Love Unlocked - Cecelia Ahern (HarperFiction)
• A Plot to Die For - Ardal O'Hanlon (Simon & Schuster)
• Anywhere But Here - Vicki Notaro (Sandycove) 

Children's Book of the Year - Junior

• The Upside-Down Lighthouse - Paddy Donnelly (The O'Brien Press)
• Letters to a Giant - Patricia Forde & Sarah Warburton (Bloomsbury Children's Book) 
• I Am Not a Dog - Peter Donnelly (Gill Books)
• Swim, Little Otter - Tom McCaughren & Erika McGann. Illustrated by Shannon Bergin (The O'Brien Press) 
• Rabbit and Bear: The Bog of Frogs - Julian Gough. Illustrated by Jim Field (Orchard Books)
• The Star Maker - Catherine Doyle & Paddy Donnelly (Bloomsbury Children's Book)
• Little Passenger - Deirdre Sullivan. Illustrated by Jessica Love (Walker Books)
• An Peata is Fearr - Patricia Forde. Illustrated by Phillip Cullen. (Futa Fata) 

Children's Book of the Year - Senior

• Deerheart - Eoin Colfer. Illustrated by P. J. Lynch (Walker Studio) 
• Milly McCarthy and the Doggy Daycare Drama - Leona Forde. Illustrated by Karen Harte (Gill Books)
• Minotaur Boy - Shane Hegarty & Ruby Fresson (DK flip)  
• An Ivy Hotel Mystery 1: Murder at the Ivy Hotel - Emily Hourican (Scholastic Fiction)
• Nina Peanut: Major Drama Alert (Book 4) - Sarah Bowie (Scholastic Fiction) 
• A Timeline of Irish History - Myles Dungan. Illustrated by Sol Linero (Gill Books) 
• Death Before Detention - Alison Weatherby.Illustrated by Ellen Porteus (Macmillan Children's Books)
• Epic Ireland - Kieran Fanning.Illustrated by Alice Guidi (Gill Books) 

Teen/Young Adult Book of the Year 

• Effie is Offline - Karen Harte (Gill Books)
• Shorelines - Ruth Ennis (Little Island)
• Runaway Road - Sue Divin (First Ink/Macmillan)
• Her Hidden Fire - Clíodhna O'Sullivan (Penguin Random House/Penguin)
• They Called Us Witch - Ellen Ryan (HarperFire)
• From the Top, Sally Flynn - Méabh Collins (The O'Brien Press)
• Just Another Dead Boy - Kelly McCaughrain (Walker Books) 
• Tom Burne Has Left the Chat - Seán Farrelly (Faber Children's) 

Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana (Irish Fiction Book of the Year)  

• Faraor Géar Nár Cailleadh Mé - Micheál Ó Conghaile (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)
• Rúnaí an Aire - Brian Ó Tiomáin (Cló Iar-Chonnacht)
• Eoghan Béal - Darach Ó Scolaí. Illustrated by Alé Mercado. (Leabhar breac) 
• Sí - Seán Ó Muireagáin (Éabhlóid)
• An Cláirseoir - Diarmuid Johnson (Leabhar Breac) 

 
New Irish Writing Best Short Story  

• Starfish Don’t Have Bodies - Fiona Ennis
• Burnt - Jacinta Cogan
• Carlos - Eamon O'Riordan       
• A Day in the Life - Ben Dillon 

 
New Irish Writing Best Poetry 

• Abundance and The Trouble with Home - Noel Howley
• Mother/Father and The Gift of Snow - John Kenny
• Bring Up - Emma Beard     
• Rhiannon and The North - Kevin Cahill 

An Post Bookshop of the Year  

• Book Centre, Waterford - Maeve Byrne
• Charlie Byrne's Bookshop, Galway - Vinny Browne
• Woodbine, Kilcullen - Dawn Behan
• O'Mahony's, Limerick - Clare O'Mahony
• Tales for Tadpoles, Bray - Caroline Sullivan
• Bridge Books Dromore - Lesley Price