Ten of the best Irish books of 2025 so far

It's been another bumper year for Irish literature.

Although there are more books to be released in the pre-Christmas rush, as we head into autumn it’s a good opportunity to take stock of the exceptional titles that have already been published.

To celebrate Irish Book Week, which runs from the 18th - 25th October, here are ten of the best Irish books of 2025 so far.

Elaine Feeney - Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way

Feeney’s last novel, the Booker-longlisted How to Build a Boat brought the Galway author, poet and playwright to wider prominence - but her third novel is even better. This exploration of a family is strikingly told from the perspective of Claire O’Connor, who moves home to Athenry from London to care for her ailing father following her mother’s death. Feeney aptly weaves together multiple threads to paint a vivid picture of the O’Connors, their often traumatic history and her own complex relationships.

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Róisín O’Donnell - Nesting

This stunning debut tells the story of Ciara, a young English mother who is trapped in a marriage to the odious Ryan, who subjects her to an array of emotional abuses and coercive control. When she attempts to leave the family home in Dublin with her toddler and baby and escape Ryan’s clutches in a desperate bid to rebuild her life, her path is neither linear nor smooth - yet O’Donnell’s striking prose and empathetic storytelling means that you are with Ciara every determined step of the way. Read an extract here (Simon & Schuster)

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin - Ordinary Saints

The recent canonisation of teenage saint Carlo Acutis, the ‘first millennial saint’, partly inspired this excellent debut novel by Dublin writer Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin. There’s a lot to absorb in this book, not least the narrator Jacinta’s (or Jay, as she is known) ongoing internal struggle with faith, her sexuality and the grief she is navigating following the untimely death of her brother Ferdia. Jay has broken free of her ultra-religious upbringing and is living a new life in London - but when it’s announced that Ferdia, a priest, is being considered for canonisation, she is pulled back to Ireland and forced to confront some difficult truths. Read an extract here (Bonnier Books)

John Banville - Venetian Vespers

Banville had previously hinted that 2022’s The Singularities would be his last literary work, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn of Venetian Vespers’ publication. This evocative novel is set in bleak midwinter in Venice in 1900, as the (highly unlikable) novelist Evelyn Dolman honeymoons in the damp, misty Italian city with his aloof American heiress wife. It is an eerie ghost story, a love story and a mystery all wrapped up in one atmospheric package - and told as only Banville could (Faber)

Anna Carey - Our Song

Dublin writer Anna Carey has penned numerous books for children and young people, but her debut novel for adults proves that she’s more than capable of telling stories for older audiences, too. Our Song will particularly appeal to music fans, as it tells the story of downtrodden songwriter Laura, who grudgingly watches from afar as her one-time teenage bandmate and unrequited love Tadhg gradually becomes a musical superstar. When Tadhg reconnects after years of silence with a request to finish a song they had started many years earlier, Laura realises that perhaps the past is not quite so easily buried. This is a heartwarming, funny and eminently readable novel - and one crying out for a TV or film adaptation, to boot. Read an extract here, and listen to Anna's Our Song playlist below (Hachette)

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Wendy Erskine - The Benefactors

Belfast author Wendy Erskine had previously proven her mettle with two short story collections, but her debut novel is a skilful telling of a traumatic incident that exhibits her talent for long-form stories, too. When a teenager called Misty is sexually assaulted by three 18-year-old men at a party, the fallout from the crime is told largely via the perspectives of their mothers Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh - who will go to any lengths to protect their sons. It is a delicate and often difficult line to tread, but in Erskine’s hands these beautifully well-drawn characters make for a gripping narrative. Read our review here (Hodder & Stoughton)

Thirst Trap - Grainne O’Hare

If your interest in this book was piqued by the striking cover, rest assured that the story is equally compelling. Grainne O’Hare’s debut novel is a seriously accomplished work, telling the story of three young women in Belfast a year after the tragic death of their friend, as they approach the age of thirty and are forced to make big decisions about their own lives. It tenderly encompasses themes of grief, friendship, relationships and self-destruction in a way that’s funny, relatable and bittersweet all at once (Penguin)

Patrick Holloway - The Language of Remembering

Yet another Irish debut that has made a big impact in 2025 is this exquisite novel by Cork native Patrick Holloway, that explores the link between a mother and her son in an achingly beautiful manner. Told between two timelines, a man called Oisín decides to return to Ireland after years living in Brazil to care for his mother Brigid, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s. As her mental state deteriorates, Brigid begins to speak Irish more often, which Oisín cannot understand - yet the themes of language, love and communication remain at the forefront of their relationship. A stunningly emotional novel. Read an extract here (Epoque Press)

David Park - Ghost Wedding

He’s been described in the past as ‘one of the most under-the-radar writers on this island’, but the Northern Irish novelist’s latest work really ought to bring him wider acclaim. Ghost Wedding tells the stories of two men in interwoven timelines, set a hundred years apart in Belfast. George Allenby is an architect in the 1920s, still grappling with the trauma of his experiences in WWI as he oversees the construction of a lake at a manor house; Alex is planning a wedding with his fiance Ellie at the same location a century later. Both men are haunted by their pasts for very different reasons, but Park draws out their distinct narratives with a masterly grace. A gorgeous, thought-provoking treasure (Simon & Schuster)

Claire Gleeson - Show Me Where it Hurts

The horrifying incident that forms the starting point of Claire Gleeson’s debut novel is undeniably difficult to read, particularly if you’re a parent. Nevertheless, this is a powerful story about resilience, heartbreak and ultimately hope, with a female protagonist (Rachel) that you will cry with, root for and want to hug. Rachel lives an ordinary life with her husband Tom and their two children - until one day on their way home from a family outing, he apologises before deliberately crashing the car, leaving her as the only survivor. A difficult story, certainly - but one told with huge tenderness and empathy. Read an extract here (Sceptre)

Ten of the best Irish books of 2025 so far

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