An Post Irish Book Awards

20/04/2026

We asked the nation, and you voted! 📚

To mark 20 years of the Irish Book Awards, readers have chosen the 20 best Irish books of the last 20 years; the stories that have moved us, challenged us, and stayed with us long after the final page.

From unforgettable novels and powerful memoirs to landmark works of non-fiction, this list brings together the books that have defined Irish reading over the past two decades.

Here are the nation’s favourites:

📚Room,
📚Fia and the Last Snow Deer, , illustrated by
📚The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,
📚The Bee Sting, Paul Murray
📚The Spinning Heart, Donal Ryan
📚Unravelling Oliver,
📚Poor,
📚The Importance of Being Aisling, Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
📚Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun), Manchán Magan, illustrated by Megan Luddy
📚Normal People, Sally Rooney
📚Small Things Like These,
📚The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry
📚Country Girl, Edna O’Brien
📚Asking For It,
📚Holding,
📚Trespasses, .kennedyy
📚We Don’t Know Ourselves, Fintan O’Toole
📚Girls Who Slay Monsters, , illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald
📚A Ghost in the Throat, .ni.ghriofa
📚Atlas of the Irish Revolution, John Crowley, Donál Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo

19/04/2026

Dark, lyrical and quietly powerful, Savage Her Reply reimagines an old Irish myth through a bold, feminist lens.

With haunting prose and a fierce emotional core, Deirdre Sullivan gives voice to a woman long silenced, exploring rage, resilience and the power of reclaiming your own story.

In 2020, it won our Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year and it’s now nominated as one of the best Irish books of the last 20 years. The final list will be revealed on Monday 20th April.

18/04/2026

Witty, dark and endlessly entertaining, Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire is everything readers love about the series; sharp humour, fast-paced adventure and a world where magic feels both thrilling and dangerous.

It won our Senior Children’s Book of the Year in 2009, and it’s now nominated as one of the best Irish books of the last 20 years. The final list will be revealed on Monday 20th April.

17/04/2026

Witty, dark and endlessly entertaining, Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire is everything readers love about the series; sharp humour, fast-paced adventure and a world where magic feels both thrilling and dangerous.

It won our Senior Children’s Book of the Year in 2009, and it’s now nominated as one of the best Irish books of the last 20 years. The final list will be revealed on Monday 20th April.

16/04/2026

If you could read one book again for the first time… what would it be? 📚

Some stories stay with us forever; the ones that made us feel everything, that we wish we could experience all over again.

As we celebrate 20 years of the Irish Book Awards, we’re shining a light on the books that stand the test of time. The ones readers return to, recommend, and never quite forget.

Tell us yours 👇

16/04/2026

‘The Secret Scripture’ is a triumphant panorama of twentieth-century Ireland as told through the prism of a centenarian care home resident who has her own momentous story to tell.

In 2009, it won our Novel of the Year and is still just as loved 17 years later, joining a host of incredible books from Sebastian Barry.

It is now nominated as one of the best Irish books of the last 20 years. The final list will be revealed on Monday 20th April.

16/04/2026

15/04/2026

Covering historic and current figures from the worlds of the arts, sport, business, politics and social activism, Black and Irish by and is a timely and important book, also celebrating everyday heroes.

In 2023, it won our Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year. It is now nominated as one of the best Irish books of the last 20 years. The final list will be revealed on Monday 20th April.

15/04/2026

From magical nature stories to laugh-out-loud adventures, these Irish picture books are made to be read (and re-read) together. Whether it’s bedtime, storytime or anytime, these are the kinds of books that stay with you long after the final page.

Featuring unforgettable characters, beautiful illustrations and stories full of heart.

Which one is your favourite, or which are you adding to your list? Let us know in the comments!