The Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year is both the senior award and the foundation stone of the new Irish Book Awards. Inaugurated in 2000, it counts among it's distinguished Irish winners the late John McGaherm, Colum McCann, Ronan Bennett, and John Banville. The worthy 2007 winner was Patrick McCabe for Winterwood.
THE SECRET SCRIPTURE by Sebastian Barry
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The story of centenarian and mental hospital patient, Roseanne McNulty, is at once shocking and deeply beautiful. Refracted through the haze of memory and retelling, Roseanne’s story becomes an alternative, secret history of Ireland’s changing character and the story of a life blighted by terrible mistreatment and ignorance. Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2008.
THE TRUTH COMMISSIONER by David Park
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No writer has chronicled The Troubles better than David Park and in this novel he brings together four men, each of whom is deeply implicated in the moral miasma of Northern Ireland’s past. In a society trying to heal the scars with the salve of truth and reconciliation, the men's lives become linked in a way they could never have imagined.
NETHERLAND by Joseph O'Neill
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One of the finest 9/11 novels to date, Netherland' is a novel of belonging and not belonging, and the uneasy state in between. It is a novel of a marriage, and of the shallows and depths of male friendship. With it, Joseph O'Neill has taken the anxieties and uncertainties of our new century and fashioned a work of extraordinary beauty and brilliance.
DISGUISE by Hugo Hamilton
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At the end of the Second World War in Berlin, a young mother loses her two-year-old boy in the bombings. Her father finds a young foundling refugee to replace the boy. In his first novel since the best-selling memoir 'The Speckled People', Hugo Hamilton has created a truly compelling story of lost identity, and a remarkable reflection on the ambiguity of belonging.
One of the mainstays of the Irish book-trade, Argosy book wholesalers, joined the first expansion of the Irish Book Awards in 2006 when their Nonfiction prize went to Brian Dillon for his searing memoir In the Dark Room. The 2007 winner was Tim Robinson for Connemara.
STEPPING STONES by Seamus Heaney and Dennis O’ Driscoll
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Widely regarded as the finest poet of his generation, Seamus Heaney has been the subject of no book-length portrait until now. In response to Dennis O’Driscoll’s subtle questioning, the poet sheds a personal light on his work and on the artistic and ethical challenges he faced, providing an original, diverting and absorbing store of reflections, opinions and recollections.
THE BUILDERS by Frank McDonald and Kathy Sheridan
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Of all the factors contributing to the extraordinary transformation of Ireland in the Celtic Tiger era, none has been more prominent than the astonishing boom in construction. In this tremendously absorbing read, Frank McDonald and Kathy Sheridan tell the stories of these men and of the changes - physical and psychological - they have brought about.
BAKE by Rachel Allen
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Your best friend in the kitchen and bestselling author, Rachel Allen, is back with a collection of delicious and easy cakes and bakes, tarts and pies, quiches and casseroles. Fully illustrated with beautiful food photography throughout, here is a book to take the mystery out of traditional baking and pastry making.
IVOR BROWNE: MUSIC AND MADNESS by Ivor Browne
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This book charts the growth of one man's journey in relation to psychiatry and human development. Ivor Browne is a man who has always been respected for his compassion, quirky way of thinking and fearless opposition to orthodox psychiatry. He has been a central figure in Irish life up until the mid-nineties when he retired.
The Dublin Airport Authority, along with Argosy,completed the the three-sponsor roster for the first Irish Book Awards in 2006. That year the winner was Kate Thompson for The New Policeman. In 2007 the DAA award winners were Oliver Jeffers in the junior category and John Boyne in the senior category. PJ Lynch received a special award for illustration. The titles below refer to the junior category for readers aged 8 and under.
BEFORE YOU SLEEP by Benji Bennett
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This is an affectionate and wonderfully illustrated children’s bedtime story book by first-time author, Benji Bennett. It offers parents a unique opportunity to enter the fascinating world of a child and express their love for their child through a series of magical adventures, powerful verse and imaginative illustrations.
HIGHWAY ROBBERY by Kate Thompson
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'Hold the mare for me, lad. And when I come back I'll give you a golden guinea.' It's more money than the street urchin has ever dreamt of. But who is the rider, and why is there so much interest in his big black horse? And will the boy ever see the money? There's highway robbery in the air, but it isn't always clear just who is robbing who.
THE GREAT PAPER CAPER by Oliver Jeffers
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When life in the forest begins to change; when trees mysteriously lose their branches, when whole tree trunks start to disappear, when homes are lost, the only course of action for the forest dwellers is to begin a full scale investigation. Who is the perpetrator of this heinous crime? Will justice be done?
HER MOTHER'S FACE by Roddy Doyle
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Siobhan missed her mother dearly. Ever since she had gone, she spent her days reminiscing about the time they spent together. She remembered her mother's voice singing and her mother's hands combing her hair, but no matter how hard Siobhan tried she could never see her mother's face. A touching and uplifiting story about love and loss.
The titles below refer to the the senior category for children in the 9 + age group.
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT - PLAYING WITH FIRE by Derek Landy
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Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison and dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland. With Baron Vengeous after the deadly armour of Lord Vile, and pretty much everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet. Latest in the rip-roaring Skulduggery series.
THE POISON THRONE by Celine Kiernan
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Set in a fantastical medieval Europe, "The Poison Throne" is a gothic tale of intrigue, adventure and romance which draws the reader in from the very first sentence and doesn't loosen its grip until the last. This year's most exciting crossover title marks the debut of one of the most exciting new Irish voices for many a long year.
THE MAGICIAN by Michael Scott
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In this the second volume of the Nicholas Flamel series Josh and Sophie Newman are back in Paris, the home of Flamel. Now it’s time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there’s only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel’s old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star.
ALICE AND MEGAN FOREVER by Judi Curtin
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Megan and Alice are starting secondary school; with new subjects, new teachers and new friends, it's going to take a bit of getting used to. And when Megan meets Marcus, the class bad-boy who's always in trouble things really start to get complicated. At least she has Home Ec class with Alice to look forward to so school's not all bad!
This award was created to reward the most promising first-time author published in Ireland in any given year. The award is unrestricted by genre and the first winner was Gisele Scanlon for The Goddess Guide. We're delighted that 2008 sponsorship of this award was recently taken up by International Education Serices Ltd of Leixlip.
CONFESSIONS OF A FALLEN ANGEL by Ronan O'Brien
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Following a near-death experience as a child, the narrator becomes cursed with the ability to foresee the deaths of the people closest to him. Set in the fictional Dublin suburb of Rathgorman, this is a story where dreams come true but can turn into nightmares; a place where true love will prevail and where death is only the beginning.
BAD DAY IN BLACKROCK by Kevin Power
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On a summer’s night in 2004 a young man is kicked to death outside a Dublin nightclub and celebration turns to devastation. The reverberations of that event, its genesis and aftermath, is the subject of this extraordinary story, stripping away the veneer of a generation of Celtic cubs, whose social and sexual mores are chronicled and dissected in this tract for our times.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK by Kathryn Thomas
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In this her first book, presenter of RTE’s No Frontiers Kathryn Thomas takes us on a journey to some of world’s most exotic locations. Through her intimate and profoundly honest accounts, Kathryn opens our eyes to new cultures, traditions and people, as she recalls some of her most treasured memories from her years spent travelling the globe.
THE POISON THRONE by Celine Kiernan
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Set in a fantastical medieval Europe, "The Poison Throne" is a gothic tale of intrigue, adventure and romance which draws the reader in from the very first sentence and doesn't loosen its grip until the last. This year's most exciting crossover title marks the debut of one of the most exciting new Irish voices for many a long year.
Following the loss of one of our sponsors and the transfer of Eason's sponsorship to the Popular Fiction category, this category will be unsponsored in 2009.
THE PARISH by Alice Taylor
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A profound and benign book, The Parish deals with the growing realisation that local community is very precious and must be nurtured. Through a series of vignettes of life in her own village, Innishannon, Taylor explores the positive values of social community and the extraordinary things that the members of a close-knit community do for each other.
PATRICK HILLERY: THE OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY by John Walsh
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Although he never served as Taoiseach, Patrick Hillery was one of the most creative public figures in recent Irish history. This book is based on a number of in-depth interviews with Dr. Hillery and on unrestricted access to his private papers. Hillery’s recollections of the most controversial events of his career are analysed for the first time.
CRIME WARS by Paul Williams
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Crime Wars is a chilling account of Ireland’s brutal underworld from the beginning of the new Millennium. Williams exposés the gangland warfare that erupted with devastating results. This No 1 bestseller is a terrifying account of organised crime by Ireland’s bestselling True Crime writer.
TRADITIONAL BOATS OF IRELAND by Criostoir MacCarthaigh
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Two centuries ago sail and oar dominated local Irish trade and fisheries. This remarkable work, many years in the making, describes these craft, their construction and handling, usage and history, Gloriously illustrated with evocative photographs, exquisite boat plans and maps, this wonderful work is the finest and most complete description of Ireland’s traditional boats.
Long recognised for their massive contribution to sports promotion in Ireland, Club Energise Sport hope to establish their Irish Sports Book of the Year as the premier award in a crowded field. Paul McGrath, for Back from the Brink, was an immensely popular first winner in 2007.
RONAN O'GARA, MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Ronan O'Gara
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Ronan O'Gara is quite simply one of the greatest sportsmen Ireland has ever produced. In this illuminating autobiography, O'Gara tells the story of his many on-field successes but does not shy away from addressing the darker days, most notably at the 2007 World Cup. Here is the story of a passionate representative of the people of Cork and Ireland.
CRASHED AND BYRNED by Tommy Byrne
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For a brief moment Tommy Byrne was arguably the world's greatest driver. This is the story of his rapid rise and his spectacular and bizarre fall from grace. From troubling Ayrton Senna and making it to F1 in the '80s, later resorting to drugs, driving for a deluded billionaire and then gun-toting Mexicans in the '90s this is a raw, passionate tale not for the faint-hearted.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS MASTER OF THE MILE by Eamonn Coghlan & George Kimball
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Throughout his distinguished career, Eamonn Coghlan has punished himself physically and mentally to achieve his goal – to be the best. He recalls the joy of success and the bitter taste of Olympic failure, a failure that continues to haunt. Ultimately, this is a story of redemption and hope, in both the human spirit and the power of positive thinking.
BETTER THAN SEX: MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Mick Fitzgerald with Donn Maclean
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In this biography, Fitzgerald tells his story with rare and refreshing candour. He provides a unique insight into life as a jockey, the struggles, temptations, victories and celebrations. He tells openly of his failed marriage, of riding for the Queen, and about how the racing game has changed irrevocably since he first crossed the Irish Sea.
This award is a huge feather in the cap of the Irish Book Awards since Ryan Tubridy is fast becoming the most influential media personality actively promoting books in Ireland. A massive public vote awarded the first TTS award to John Boyne for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
THE SECRET SCRIPTURE by Sebastian Barry
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The story of centenarian and mental hospital patient Roseanne McNulty is at once shocking and deeply beautiful. Refracted through the haze of memory and retelling, Roseanne’s story becomes an alternative, secret history of Ireland’s changing character and the story of a life blighted by terrible mistreatment and ignorance. Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2008.
NETHERLAND by Joseph O'Neill
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One of the finest 9/11 novels to date, Netherland' is a novel of belonging and not belonging, and the uneasy state in between. It is a novel of a marriage, and of the shallows and depths of male friendship. With it, Joseph O'Neill has taken the anxieties and uncertainties of our new century and fashioned a work of extraordinary beauty and brilliance.
THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE by Rebecca Miller
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Pippa seems to have everything in life. But suddenly she finds her world beginning to unravel. Amid the buzzing lawnmowers and suburban coffee mornings, she starts to wonder how she came to be in this place. Miller’s astute beautifully nuanced novel explores the unpredictable consequences of choosing to live a safe but emotionally compromised life.
TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve
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At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A gripping emotional drama with the pace of a thriller, Testimony details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.
THE SUSPICIONS OF MR. WHICHER by Kate Summerscale
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In 1860, in a quiet Wiltshire village, an unimaginably gruesome murder is committed. A true story that inspired Wilkie Collins, Dickens and Conan Doyle, this has all the hallmarks of the classic murder mystery - a body; a detective; a country house steeped in secrets. Kate Summerscale brings the facts behind this notorious case back to vivid, extraordinary life.
THE WHITE TIGER by Aravind Adiga
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Meet Balram Halwai, the 'White Tiger': servant, philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. Though born in poverty, Balram dreams of escape. When a rich village landlord needs a chauffeur, he takes his opportunity, and is soon on his way to Delhi where he learns of the new morality at the heart of the new India. The 2008 Man Booker Prize-winner.
Following the withdrawal of Galaxy, Easons have transferred their sponsorship from the Best Irish-Published category to the Popular Fiction category. This is a particulary appropriate switch since Easons have been in the vanguard of promoting Irish popular fiction in recent decades. We wish them well in their new role.
THIS CHARMING MAN by Marian Keyes
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This charming man, Paddy de Courcy, is getting married. Stylist Lola is his girlfriend but definitely not the bride-to-be. That’s Alicia Thornton. Journalist Grace wants the scoop on Paddy and guess who was her sister Marnie’s first love? Four very different women. One awfully charming man. And the dark secret that binds them all. Marian Keyes’ darkest and most uncompromising novel to date.
LESSONS IN HEARTBREAK by Cathy Kelly
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For New Yorker, Izzie Silver, life is good - until she falls for a married man. Back in Ireland, Izzie's aunt Anneliese discovers the pain of infidelity for herself. Then Lily, the family matriarch, is taken ill. At her bedside, Izzie discovers a past her grandmother has never spoken of. The lessons each of the women learns bring joy and heartbreak.
FORGIVE AND FORGET by Patricia Scanlan
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What happens when the daughter of a broken marriage has strong views on who should attend her wedding? Debbie is adamant that she does not want her father, Barry, his glamorous second wife, or her stepsister, to attend. But when mother Connie and Barry join forces to get things sorted sparks begin to fly.
HEART AND SOUL by Maeve Binchy
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With the warmth, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland. As the clinic begins to prosper, Dr Clara Casey faces some tough decisions.
MR S AND THE SECRETS OF ANDORRA'S BOX by Ross O’Carroll Kelly
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Ross is in trouble. His wife has gone to America; his mum’s become a celebrity chef; and his dad’s in the slammer. A Nigerian refugee has turned up on his doorstep. Things couldn't get worse. But the long road back begins in the tax haven of Andorra, where he meets Conchita, a sultry psychoanalyst, who persuades him to seek self-knowledge.
THE GIFT by Cecelia Ahern
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Lou Suffern is overstretched, overburdened, trying to do too many things at once. When he meets Gabe, a homeless man, Lou contrives to get him a job in the post room. Christmas is coming, and before long, Lou’s life will be irrevocably changed by the casual act of kindness he has performed.
We are delighted to announce the addition of a new category in the 2009 awards, the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award. Crime fiction ranks among the most vibrant genres in contemporary Irish publishing and the new award, adopted by one of our key media partners, Ireland AM, represents an exciting new addition to the Irish Book Awards.
BLOOD RUNS COLD by Alex Barclay
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Kidnap and murder collide in Alex Barclay's heart-stopping new thriller featuring FBI Agent Ren Bryce. When an FBI agent is found dead on the white slopes of Quandary Peak in Colorado, a brilliant but volatile agent is drafted in from Denver to lead the investigation. Alex Barclay is the rising star of the hard-boiled genre.
GALLOWS LANE by Brian McGilloway
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In this heart-stopping follow-up to Brian McGilloway's acclaimed debut Borderlands, Inspector Benedict Devlin investigates a series of gruesome murders in and around the Irish borderlands. Devlin is determined to apprehend those responsible for the murders before they strike again, even as the carnage begins to jeopardise those he cares about most.
THE LIKENESS by Tana French
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Still traumatised by her brush with a psychopath, Detective Cassie Maddox transfers out of the Murder squad and starts a relationship with fellow detective Sam O'Neill. When he calls her to the scene of his new case, she is shocked to find that the murdered girl is her double. To tempt the killer out of hiding, Cassie is sent undercover in her place.
UNDERTOW by Arlene Hunt
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A missing boyfriend … a heavily pregnant girlfriend … just another ordinary case for Quick Investigations. But the trail they follow suggests something far from ordinary and as they dig deeper into Orie Kavlar’s life, Sarah and John are about to be caught up in an undertow of violence that will suck them into their most perilous case yet.
The Clare-born novelist and literary icon, Edna O'Brien, was honoured with The 2009 Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award. Presenter Seamus Heaney delivered a rich and eloquent encomium, congratulating O'Brien on her long and distinguished career, her gift for language and her courage in the face of harsh and misguided criticism. O'Brien declared herself delighted to be honoured in her own county which, she remarked, had always been the well-spring of her imaginative life as a writer.