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NEED TO PICK up some books for loved ones for Christmas?
Here are the best books in Ireland for 2015, according to tonight’s Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2015.
The winners
Renowned Irish American novelist JP Donleavy was presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award. Adding his congratulations to his friend “Mike” Donleavy by video-link was Hollywood megastar Johnny Depp, who is producing and reportedly starring in a film version of Donleavy’s 1955 novel The Ginger Man.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the star-studded awards ceremony took place in Dublin’s Double Tree Hilton and was attended by Ireland’s top writers, publishers, booksellers and media personalities including novelists Kevin Barry, Paul Murray and Belinda McKeon, broadcasters and writers Ryan Tubridy, Sinead Crowley, Diarmuid Ferriter and Matt Cooper, food writers Donal Skehan, Diana Henry and Trish Deseine, writers Paul Howard, Martina Devlin, Carlo Gebler, Roisin Ingle, and Derek Landy.
Over 45,000 votes were cast in the awards and voting for the book of the year will remain open until 17 December.
Eason Novel of the Year:
The Green Road by Anne Enright
TheJournal.ie Best Irish Published Book of the Year:
The Long Gaze: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers edited by Sinead Gleeson
Specsaver’s Children’s Book of the Year (Junior):
Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers
Specsaver’s Children’s Book of the Year (Senior):
Asking For It by Louise O’Neill
Avonmore Cookbook of the Year:
The Virtuous Tart by Susan Jane White
Ireland AM Crime Book of the Year:
After the Fire by Jane Casey
Irish Independent Popular Fiction Book of the Year:
The Way We Were by Sinead Moriarty
National Book Tokens Non-Fiction Book of the Year:
Children of the Rising by Joe Duffy
Bord Gáis Energy Sports Book of the Year:
Until Victory Always: A Memoir by Jim Mc Guinness
Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year:
Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
Books Are My Bag Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year:
Me and My Mate Jeffrey by Niall Breslin
RTÉ Radio 1′s The Ryan Tubridy Show Listeners’ Choice Award:
Irelandopedia by Fatti and John Burke
Writing.ie Short Story of the Year:
A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan (A Slanting of the Sun)
Brendan Corbett, Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards Chairperson, said:
“With these awards, one thing never changes and that is the seemingly limitless creativity of Irish writers.
“We know that every year we will be guaranteed fantastic books to choose from and that there will be great work from experienced writers and always fresh talent bursting through to challenge them as the list of winners shows.”
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So the book shamelessly plugged for weeks by Aoife at Journal.ie wins the Journal.ie sponsored award presented by Aoife. All above board so, move along.
This book was edited by Sepp Blatter and funded by Bertie Ahern. Well done to all.
The ‘If you sponsor an award you can pick which book you want to win’ awards.
Hi Peter, we sponsor the award – we don’t pick who wins. The votes for all of the awards are cast by a judging panel who we are not involved with or members of, and members of the public.
I wrote a number of articles as part of our sponsorship, (like other publications did) on a number of the nominees. You can find them if you search for ‘Irish book awards’ on the site.
Also I wrote two pieces on Long Gaze Back, one when it was published in September and one yesterday, after the public voting for the awards had closed.
The ” give everyone an award to get the books into the media to increase sales for Christmas awards”
“Ireland AM Crime Book of the Year”.
If I were that author I’d be dropping the “Ireland AM” bit from my CV.
Bressie looks delighted. I’m glad that he won an award. Awards for anthologies always puzzle me. It’s basically a prize for other peoples work and imagination.
So the Journal award goes to one of it’s own ???
To The Journal.ie… I am curious how votes were cast in your office for this award.. If #wakingthefeminist was about conspiracy AGAINST female writers, then I suppose this award is a conspiracy FOR female writers..
Hi Sinead, we sponsor the award – we don’t pick who wins. The votes for all of the awards are cast by a judging panel who we are not involved with or members of, and members of the public. Hope that clears things up for you.
Joe Duffy and Niall Breslin…….SAKE!
Right, that’s the feminist list.
Now where’s the real list?
Delighted for Dónal Ryan – a stunning collection of short stories. Well deserved!
But that award is for s single short story, ‘slanting of the sun’. I didn’t think it was the best story in the book?
I though gilmores book would have been a shoe in for the fiction award after all his promoting and drama and shot at dawn bull. Maybe it’s in the fantasy section or heaven forbid, maybe it’s just crap, and nobody’s buying it!
Jim mcguinnesses book is very good.
Awards for books that hardly anyone will bother reading.
speak for yourself
In my humble opinion Mr Donleavy is a tad over rated. The ginger man was his first and best book. After that he descended into a surreal sort of post aristocratic Irish pastiche. First prize for his longevity. Still fighting fit in his mid nineties. I suspect keeping his exposure to other humans to a minimum helps with this.
Not Ireland’s favourite books. They would be the ones people read and enjoyed. Most likely to be found topping the charts. These are winning books picked from eligible books whose entry is sponsored by the publisher. Having said that, for the winning authors, it’s nice to get the recognition. Congratulations to them.
Ur old enough to know the rich look after the rich best thing is they do not look happy happy days
I’m sure you’re right j k but I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.
No Irish author in the Mills & Boon series? No Irish novelist nominated for the Bad Sex award in Britain?
Joe Duffy – oh, is that the one with the national radio show, the one that’s been promoting his book all year, at licence payers’ expense? The one who had his book printed in Germany?
Oh yes, so it is.
“This is a local book for local/ German jobs.”
Yet the Bible keeps on selling, it reminds me of the so called charts. The best selling music that beats those on those famoust top 40 turns out to be classical music and Mozart keeps on selling.
So when I see charts, awards or the top 5 then I think that they exist in order to sell these goods as those who sell themselves well never get a mention…
have your say