The best Irish books of 2025

It's been another bumper year for Irish literature - and now that 2025 is pretty much done and dusted, it's time to cast our eye over the books that made the biggest impressions over the last twelve months.

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 (Penguin)

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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)

Donal Fallon - The Dublin Pub

Best known as a passionate Dublin historian and host of the Three Castles Burning podcast, Donal Fallon's latest work sees him turn his attention to an institution of Irish life - the pub. More specifically, the Dublin pub in this exploration of the social and cultural history of various beloved watering holes in the capital. You’ll hear stories about well-known pubs like The Long Hall and Grogan’s, but also about the establishments that are long gone but which played an important role in shaping the city’s life, from shebeens to gay bars and early houses. (New Island)

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)

Julia Kelly - Still: A Memoir

Julia Kelly has published a number of personal books in her past, not least 2019's Matchstick Man about her late partner, artist Charlie Whisker, and the impact of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Her latest work is one of her most profound to date: a tribute to her mother Delphine, who died in 2012. The chapter headings drawn from her autopsy notes provide a startling juxtaposition to the tender portrait Kelly draws of her mother and her vivacious hunger for life, despite being widowed at the age of 50. (New Island)

Rose Keating - Oddbody

The clue of Rose Keating’s debut collection is in the title: these are stories about bodies in all their strange, peculiar and horrific glory. Waterford native Keating sets out her stall with aplomb in these eerie tales about an actress who submits for voluntary dismemberment to win a role, a father who turns into a giant worm, or a teenager who becomes friends with a vampire. Her talent for tackling weighty topics via a playfully macabre approach is hugely engaging. Read an extract here (Canongate)

Brendan Mac Evilly - Deep Burn

Brendan Mac Evilly has plenty of experience in the publishing world, as founding editor of cultural journal Holy Show, and co-author of non-fiction book At Swim: A Book About the Sea. His debut novel is evidence of his knack for storytelling as we are drawn into the story of Martha Knox, a woman who leaves Dublin for Kerry after her short-lived marriage unceremoniously ends. There, she reinvents herself as an artist of repute, grappling with her newfound fame as well as the complicated new relationships in her life. An absorbing, wryly amusing and compelling debut. Read an extract here (Marrowbone Books)

Jessica Traynor - New Arcana

Themes of memory, love and loss rub shoulders with Tarot in Dublin poet Jessica Traynor’s fourth collection. With many poems addressed to "a dear friend who died by suicide", whom Traynor personifies as Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder’s character from Beetlejuice), she explores and unpicks the details of their friendship alongside the tribulations of her own family life with her daughters, and the ongoing impact of destructive relationships. The result is a strikingly beautiful nod to the lasting echoes of a friendship - and one not without humour at times, too. Read our review here (Bloodaxe Books)

Carl Kinsella - At Least it Looks Good from Space

Humans, eh? We’re a conundrum, for sure - but as the saying goes, 'If you can’t laugh at yourself…’ Luckily, Carl Kinsella’s debut essay collection does just that. The Dublin-based columnist and author weaves his often touching personal experiences (including his grapple with OCD and his relationship with his father) into these sharply-written, funny observations about modern life. There are essays about road trips to Dollywood, the perils of social media and that one time he fell into a lagoon in Lahinch. Millennials will especially love it, but this is an excellent read that covers a lot of bases for everyone. (Hachette)

Kathi and John Burke - Animalopedia

This book might be aimed at a younger audience, but readers of all ages will find something to love in it - not least in illustrator Kathi Burke’s gorgeous artwork. Teaming up with her father John (a retired teacher) once again, the pair have crafted a beautiful encyclopedia of Irish animals, both real and mythical, in this gorgeous tome. You’ll hear facts and stories about everything from wolfhounds to selkies, as well as tales of folklore and legends and real-life famous Irish animals (yep, Fungi the Dingle Dolphin is in there. Never forgotten.) (Gill Books)

N/A — Irish Book Award winners Kathi and John Burke

David Gillick - The Race

You may have shouted at the telly, urging Irish athletes across the finish line at big championships; you may have stood at the side of the road to cheer for marathon runners. You might even have dabbled in a spot of running yourself. Now - much like tennis player Conor Niland’s excellent The Racket - David Gillick’s memoir lifts the curtain on both the mental and physical struggles and sacrifices that come with being a professional athlete in eye-opening detail. You don’t need to be a runner to enjoy this compelling book. (Gill Books)

Annemarie Ní Churreáin - Hymn to All the Restless Girls

Inspired by so-called ‘troublemakers’ - from well-known names in Irish life like Sinead O’Connor, Bridget Cleary and Annie Murphy, as well as her own grandmother - Annemarie Ní Churreáin’s latest collection of poetry takes a decidedly feminist slant. The Donegal poet refuses to pull her punches when it comes to interrogating institutions like the Catholic Church and the Irish State in their historical ill-treatment of women, weaving folkloric and spiritual imagery alongside poems about rebellious women and real-life injustices like the Mother and Baby homes. A powerful collection. (The Gallery Press)

Brenda Fricker - She Died Young: A Life in Fragments

It has taken Brenda Fricker 80 years to write her life story in her own words - but what a life it has been. Yet this is no trashy Hollywood tell-all; the legendary Irish actress writes beautifully and poignantly about the often painful childhood that shaped her as a person, her battle with mental illness, late sister Gránia, and of course, her incredible working life over the decades. And yes, okay - there are also a few amusing stories in there, too - all recounted with class and a sprinkling of mischief. (Bloomsbury)

Lauren Murphy is the host of culture podcast Get Around To It

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