Revolutionary history scoops BGE Irish Book of the Year

Atlas of the Irish Revolution (Cork University Press), a book which tells the full story of Ireland’s revolutionary history from 1913 to 1923, has been voted the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book of the Year for 2017. 

The book, edited by John Crowley, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and Dr John Borgonovo, was chosen by a public vote from the list of category winners announced at the recent Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. Organised chronologically and thematically, it draws together existing and ongoing research into the revolutionary period, telling the stories of those caught up in the revolution and discussing the evolution of events during these years, their aftermath and legacy.

"We are very honoured to receive this award," said Dr Crowley, one of the book's editors from the Department of Geography in UCC. "The 1916 centenary clearly revealed not only Irish people’s appetite for understanding their history but more importantly their place in that history. The Atlas of the Irish Revolution builds on that sense of connection and public engagement by providing new ways of seeing the revolutionary period. The 300+ maps in the atlas along with the hundreds of other images create a unique portal through which local communities can engage with pivotal events in their own history. The atlas speaks to a deep interest amongst Irish people in learning about their past and we are indeed grateful that they have supported this project in such vast numbers."

The project's triumph follows Mike McCormack's win in 2016 for his experimental one-sentence novel Solar Bones (Tramp Press). Other previous winners have included Asking for it by Louise O’Neill (riverrun) and Staring at Lakes by Michael Harding (Hachette Ireland).

The BGE Irish Book Awards' winners span 15 categories. Previously announced winners this year also included Bernard MacLaverty's Midwinter Break (Jonathan Cape), which scooped Novel of the Year; A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea – Favourite Rhymes from an Irish Childhood by Sarah Webb, illustrated by Steve McCarthy, winner of the Children’s Book of the Year's Junior category, and Stand by Me by Judi Curtin, winner of the Children's Senior category, both published by The O’Brien Press; Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan, illustrated by Karen Vaughan (Little Island), which won the awards' new Teen / Young Adult Book of the Year category; and Newcomer of the Year I Found My Tribe by Ruth Fitzmaurice (Chatto & Windus).