Hayden, Boyne and Keyes among winners at An Post Irish Book Awards

Sally Hayden, John Boyne and Marian Keyes were among the winning authors at this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards held in the Convention Centre Dublin this evening (23rd November), while the Eason Novel of the Year Award was scooped by Louise Kennedy for Trespasses (Bloomsbury).

First awarded in 2006, the An Post Irish Book Awards celebrate and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Brenden Corbett, chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, said: “Our industry has worked so hard to grow the awards from something quite small into the behemoth it has become today and we are immensely proud of what we’ve achieved through a broad coalition of readers, writers, publishers, sponsors, booksellers and librarians.

“Some wonderful books have been published this year, many by established literary stars, but also by an astonishing number of talented newcomers who seem to spring fully-formed on to the Irish literary scene every year. We are delighted to congratulate the winners with their An Post Irish Book Awards.” 

Hayden took home the Odgers Berndtson Non-fiction Book of the Year for My Fourth Time, We Drowned (Fourth Estate) while Boyne won Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year and Keyes snapped up National Book Tokens Popular Fiction Book of the Year with Again, Rachel (PMJ). 

John Creedon triumphed in TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year for An Irish Folklore Treasury (Gill Books) while Eoghan Daltun’s An Irish Atlantic Rainforest: A Personal Journey into the Magic of Rewilding (Hachette Books Ireland) was named Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year 

Avoca Cookbook of the Year went to The Daly Dish: Bold Food Made Good (Gill Books) by Gina and Karol Daly, while Eason Sports Book of the Year in Association with Ireland AM was awarded to Kellie (Sandycove) by Kellie Harrington, with Roddy Doyle. Charlie Bird and Ray Burke won Dubray Biography of the Year for Time and Tide (HarperCollins Ireland).

Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year – Junior was awarded to Our Big Day (O’Brien Press) by Bob Johnston, illustrated by Michael Emberley, with the senior category going to Girls Who Slay Monsters (HarperCollins Ireland) by Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald. Let’s Talk (Gill Books) by Richie Sadlier won Bookselling Ireland Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year. 

An Post Irish Bookshop of the Year was awarded to Bridge Street Books in Wicklow, while Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year went to EL (Coiscéim) by Thaddeus Ó Buachalla. "Wedding Dress" by Martina Dalton won Listowel Writers’ Week Poem of the Year and "This Small Giddy Life" by Nuala O’Connor won Writing.ie Short Story of the Year. 

Breaking Point (Sphere) scooped Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year and There’s Been a Little Incident (Apollo) by Alice Ryan was named Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year 

The An Post Irish Book Awards also presented Anne Enright with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award. Organisers said: “The writer has occupied a central position in the cultural life of Ireland for over three decades, with her literary career spanning seven novels, three short story collections, a memoir of motherhood and the 2007 Booker Prize for her fourth novel, The Gathering (Jonathan Cape). The author was also named the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction between 2015 – 2018.” 

It continued: “As the 2022 Lifetime Achievement honouree, Anne Enright joins a host of other distinguished recipients such as Sebastian Barry, Colm Tóibín, Thomas Kinsella, Eavan Boland, John Montague, JP Donleavy, Paul Durcan, John Banville, Maeve Binchy, John McGahern, Edna O’Brien, William Trevor, Seamus Heaney and Jennifer Johnston.” 

David McRedmond, c.e.o. of An Post, said: “Books represent the best of us as a nation. An Post is very proud to be associated with the Irish Book Awards. It’s wonderful to celebrate such great writers, illustrators, poets and bookshops from across the island. I congratulate the winners and all those who were shortlisted.”