The An Post Irish Book Awards 2025

by Andrew Porter

€21.99

With a foreword by Richie Sadlier From the heartbreak of losing his mother to breast cancer at just 12 years old, to facing mental health challenges throughout his teens, Andrew Porter's journey is one of extraordinary resilience. In this deeply personal and inspiring memoir, the Irish rugby star opens up about the experiences that shaped him – on and off the pitch. With honesty and heart, Andrew shares how rugby became his lifeline, guiding him from the gym floor to the world stage. He reflects on the emotional highs and lows of his career – earning 75 caps for Ireland, winning three Six Nations titles, and becoming one of the sport’s most respected figures. Heart on My Sleeve is more than a story of athletic triumph; it’s a testament to perseverance, vulnerability, and the strength of the human spirit.

by Manchán Magan

€18.99

Meet the néaladóirí (cloud-watchers) and réadóirí (star-gazers) from our past who, without the luxury of Met Éireann at their disposal, observed birds, trees, animals, as well as markers on land and sea for signs of weather change. The sheer richness and variety of terms they amassed reveal the closeness with which they observed the world around them. Swallows flying low foretold rain. The heron's behaviour offered many hints: Aimsir chrua thirim nuair a bhíonn an corr éisc suas in aghaidh srutha chun na sléibhte (when the heron flies upstream to the mountains the weather will be dry but rough). Fearthainn nuair a thagann sí an abhainn anuas (when she goes downstream, it will rain). Evoking countless sodden, shivery experiences on this Atlantic-swept Island of ours, this beautifully illustrated gift book uses Irish words to grasp an almost-lost world through the wisdom stored in the Irish language.

by Sophie Morris

€22.99

When it comes to food, we all want to make the right choices. We’ve heard of ultra-processed foods and how bad they are for us, yet how much do we really know about the products in our shopping trolley? Through her hugely popular supermarket swap posts, Sophie Morris has already shown hundreds of thousands of Irish shoppers how to replace ultra-processed foods with healthier alternatives. From ketchup to burgers and granola to curry sauce, Sophie knows which brands offer less processed, better quality and often cheaper options – and you’ll be surprised at what you discover. In addition, busy mum Sophie gives you 50 family-favourite recipes for cooking from scratch at home.

by Cecelia Ahern

€14.99

Pip's world is small. But it's about to become a whole lot bigger. For years she's tucked away her dreams, shrinking herself into the space left behind - like the delicate origami she creates alone in her room. Then hope comes from an unlikely place: an astronomer from the local observatory. He teaches her to look up at the stars, and to see a world far bigger and more beautiful than she ever imagined. And perhaps in that big, beautiful universe there's someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart. Pip never stopped dreaming, but now it's time for her to live - and maybe even to fall in love. 'A lovely, transportive, deeply felt story. My heart grows a bit bigger each time I read a Cecelia Ahern book' Karin Slaughter 'An immersive, sometimes heartbreaking, yet ultimately uplifting rollercoaster read. Her best yet' Patricia Scanlan 'A tender, moving story about second chances and the quiet courage it takes to hope again' Louise O'Neill

by Nicola Pierce

€19.99

Throughout history, the stories of women's lives and work have been overshadowed by those of men. Wives, especially, disappear, unacknowledged as patrons and champions of their husband's work, as collaborators, muses, carers and managers of the family domain. Great Irish Wives shines a spotlight on ten such wives: Matilda Tone, Mary O'Connell, Constance Wilde, Charlotte Shaw, Emily Shackleton, Annette Carson, Sinéad de Valera, Margaret Clarke, George Yeats and Beatrice Behan. The men in this book are household names, from Wolfe Tone and Daniel O'Connell to Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan, and they all have one thing in common: they married women who enabled them to pursue their dreams, even if that meant courting death or outrage. Nicola Pierce tells the stories of these truly remarkable women.

by Tom McCaughren

€14.99

'In the Wild Wood, a fox must be brave and cunning and quick.' Foxy loves his mother's stories about the Wild Wood: about rabbits and badgers, squirrels and owls, and the tall, thin deer, with horns like tree branches. Foxy decides to set out on his own wild adventure. But can he be brave and cunning and quick enough to find his way back home?

by John and Kathi Burke

€20.99

This breathtaking book explores Ireland's animals by habitat, the myths and legends associated with them, favourite folklore superstitions and famous real-life Irish dogs, horses and dolphins, amongst others! There's so much to delve into, and readers will be totally absorbed by Kathi Burke's detailed illustrations and her father John's fabulous facts.  From selkies and merrows to swans and salmon, from wolfhounds and elks to racehorses and greyhounds - there's so much to learn in this Animalopedia of all things Irish!

by Gráinne O'Brien

€9.49

A novel in verse about teenage love and friendships, lost and found. LoveReading4Kids Star Book LoveReading4Kids Debut of the Month Daisy can feel like a solo act at home. On the outside of her twin brothers' intense relationship, she leans towards her parents, particularly her father, for support. As a passionate classical musician, she is not wildly popular at school, but she has one close friend and a life filled with musical performance. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend suddenly breaks up with her, and Daisy is left disconnected from her one true love, music. When she makes a new friend at school, mysterious Flora, Daisy finds a glimmer of peace in her chaotic life. Just as everything seems to be getting better, they all fall apart. Family tensions heighten as Daisy's dad falls ill and Daisy needs to decide should she find her way back to who she was or look towards who she is going to become.

by Andrea Mara

€17.99

Look what you started. You press send and your message disappears. Full of secrets about your neighbours, it’s meant for your sister. But it doesn’t reach her – it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead. Now everyone knows what you did. As rumour spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighbourhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat. And someone wants you dead. The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what’s even more chilling is that she had the same address as you – 26 Oakpark – but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won’t be long before you find out..

by Sarah Corbett Lynch

€16.99

A shocking true story of heartbreak and survival by Sarah Corbett Lynch, daughter of Jason Corbett – an Irish Times Number 1 bestseller and now the subject of the Netflix documentary A Deadly American Marriage . "Honest and compelling." — Sunday Independent "Powerful, heartbreaking." — Irish Times "An enthralling read." — Irish Daily Mail "A powerful and poignant memoir that transforms loss into a legacy of love and hope." — Katriona O'Sullivan, bestselling author of Poor At approximately 3:15 a.m. on 2 August 2015, eight-year-old Irish girl Sarah Corbett Lynch was lifted from her bed by a Davidson County police officer and carried downstairs, shielded from the chaos erupting around her. Hours later, Sarah learned that her beloved father, Jason, was dead — killed by her stepmother, Molly Martens, and her father, Tom Martens. Now, for the first time, Sarah shares her story and reveals the shocking truth about life behind closed doors in her family’s suburban North Carolina home. She recalls the weeks and months leading up to that fateful night in August, detailing the manipulation and gaslighting inflicted by Molly Martens — the only mother she had ever known. Sarah also describes the traumatic years that followed her father's death, as she and her brother Jack sought justice from the safety of their new, loving home in Limerick, Ireland, with Jason’s family. A Time for Truth is a unique and deeply personal testimony of devastation, resilience, and hope — a story of survival against the odds.

by Jacqueline Connolly

€16.99

The heart-breaking account of a search for the truth behind the brutal killings that shocked a nation. On 29 August 2016, devastating news hit the headlines that an entire family was found dead in a rural community. For Jacqueline Connolly, this was a deeply personal and life-shattering tragedy, as she discovered her sister Clodagh, along with her nephews Liam, Niall and Ryan, were killed by their husband and father Alan Hawe. Here, Jacqueline discloses the circumstances leading up to the tragic events of August 2016, including Hawe's manipulation and coercive control of her unsuspecting sister. Her gripping account tells of her family's painful struggle to expose critical failures in the initial garda investigation, as they uncovered the terrible darkness behind Hawe's 'pillar-of-the-community' facade. Jacqueline also reveals many of the shocking, unpublished findings of the recent Garda Serious Crime Review. These details challenge our understanding of domestic violence and family annihilators, while laying bare a mass murder - Ireland's largest murder-suicide - that was cold-bloodedly planned for a year in advance. Deadly Silence holds a lens up to a society that often excuses perpetrators for heinous acts of violence, just as it outlines an inspiring personal journey of healing from severe trauma and loss, and a sister's determination to find truth and justice.

by Joseph O'Connor

€15.99

'The tension doesn't slack an inch… It is haunting, sensuous and immaculately constructed - without sacrificing any thrills' - Sunday Times , Best Beach Reads of 2025 February 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome. Inside the beleaguered city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini is a member of the band of Escape Line activists known as 'The Choir'. Their mission is to smuggle refugees to safety and help Allied soldiers, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann. During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk. Meanwhile, Hauptmann's attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him - one where the consequences could be lethal. 'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' - Donal Ryan, Sunday Times 'Vivid and moving' - Guardian 'A stellar piece of storytelling' - Daily Mail 'Not just a wartime thriller, but a meditation on how we remember, how we resist and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures' - New York Times 'Excellent...rings so emotionally true and clear... The writing has the energy and tension of a thriller, yet the language is rich, visual and beautiful' - Sunday Independent 'Thrilling, terrifying and entertaining in equal measure' - Liz Nugent, Number One Bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond

by Claire Gleeson

€15.99

A 2025 BOOK TO WATCH IN THE IRISH TIMES, SUNDAY INDEPENDENT, AND RTÉ GUIDE 'A searingly beautiful novel' Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things 'Outstanding, and has lingered in my head for a very long time' Prima How do you survive the unsurvivable? Rachel lives with her husband Tom and their two children: it's the comfortable family life she always thought she'd have. All of that changes in an instant - when Tom runs the family car off the road, seeking to end his own life, and take his wife and children with him. Rachel is left to pore over the wreckage to try and understand what happened - to find a way to go on living afterwards. What emerges is a snapshot of what it's like to live alongside someone who is suffering, how you keep yourself afloat when the person you love is drowning, and how you survive irreparable loss. Impossible to turn away from, Show Me Where It Hurts is utterly compelling and heartbreaking. It is a story of recovery and unexpected hope.

by Elaine Feeney

€15.99

**THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER** SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOVEL OF THE YEAR** **ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED NOVELS OF 2025 AS SELECTED BY THE OBSERVER, THE IRISH TIMES, JOURNAL.IE, RTE GUIDE AND SUNDAY TIMES IRELAND** The deeply moving story of the O'Connor family, its troubled past in the West of Ireland, and a love story of second chances from the Booker-longlisted author of How to Build a Boat 'A superb, multi-generational story told in stunning, poetic prose. Elaine Feeney is one of Irish literature's most gifted and persuasive storytellers.' SINÉAD GLEESON 'I believe [this] is the best book of 2025' Oliver Callan, RTE RADIO 'Hugely powerful' DAILY MAIL 'Superb' IRISH TIMES 'An uncanny understanding of the workings of the human heart. I loved this book' LOUISE KENNEDY 'Full of humanity, a story for our times' MARY COSTELLO Claire O'Connor's life has been on hold since she broke up with Tom Morton and moved from London back home to the rugged West of Ireland to care for her dying father. But glimpses of her old life are sure to follow when Tom unexpectedly moves nearby. As Claire is thrown into a love she thought she'd left behind, she questions if Tom has come for her or for himself. Living in her childhood home brings its own challenges. While Claire tries to maintain a normal life - getting lost online, going to work and minding her own business - Tom's return stirs up haunting memories trapped within the walls of the old family house. Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way is a story of love and resilience, rich with history and drama, and the legacies of violence and redemption. As the secrets of the past are revealed, Claire must confront whether she can escape her history to make a future for herself. 'Sizzling, electric... charged with humour and anger... I loved it' JENNY MUSTARD 'The pull of home feels as irresistible as it is destabilising, forcing a confrontation with unspeakable truths' OBSERVER 'Clear-eyed and deep-hearted... packs an intellectual and emotional punch' CLAIRE-LOUISE BENNETT 'This book touched my soul' KATRIONA O'SULLIVAN 'Feeney will break your heart with her characters but she will also lovingly put it back together again' EDEL COFFEY