The An Post Irish Book Awards, one of Ireland’s most distinguished and popular literary events, has unveiled the Top 20 Favourite Irish Books from award winners of the past two decades, as voted for by the public, marking a key milestone in its 20th anniversary celebrations.

The Top 20 list follows last month’s announcement of a curated Top 60 titles selected through votes from leading booksellers nationwide, which brought together standout winners from the Fiction, Non-Fiction and Children’s categories over the lifetime of the awards. Readers across Ireland were then invited to vote for their favourites from this longlist, with over 30,000 votes received nationwide.

The final selection, over half of which is authored by or features contributions from women, reflects the depth and diversity of contemporary Irish writing, and is below in alphabetical order by surname:

Alastair Giles, CEO of the Irish Book Awards, says: “As we celebrate 20 years of the An Post Irish Book Awards, this Top 20 list represents the books that have truly resonated with readers across the country. It’s a powerful reflection, not only of the extraordinary talent within Irish writing, but also of the deep connection between these particular stories and the readers who cherish them.

The goal of the Irish Book Awards is to promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible, and seeing book lovers engage so passionately with this vote has been extremely rewarding. The final selection stands as a testament to the lasting impact of Irish books over the past two decades.”

Since its launch in 2006, the An Post Irish Book Awards has promoted Irish writing to the widest possible readership. Each year it brings together a vibrant community of readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians to recognise the very best of Irish writing.

The awards feature a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across 18 categories, including Novel of the Year, Children’s, History, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Non-fiction, Sports, Lifestyle, Short Story, Irish Language, Poetry, Newcomer, Teen and Young Adult, Irish Published and Biography.

Hundreds of books are submitted for consideration each year and, over the past two decades, an array of new and established domestic and international authors have graced the Irish Book Awards stage.

Details of the full Top 20 List can be found at:

https://www.irishbookawards.ie/news/an-post-irish-book-awards-unveils-list-featuring-top-20-favourite-irish-books-from-category-winners-over-the-past-two-decades-as-voted-for-by-the-public/