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Bernard MacLaverty and Marian Keyes got the big breaks at the 12th annual Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in Dublin last night, with Philly MacMahon and Ruth Fitzmaurice also among the winners.
Midwinter Break, MacLaverty’s first novel in 16 years, about an ageing, estranged Irish couple on holiday in Amsterdam, won the coveted Novel of the Year prize. The Break by Marian Keyes , about another mature couple taking a break from their marriage, won the Popular Fiction Book of the Year.
The Best Irish Published Book of the Year goes to the back-, bank- and possibly record-breaking Atlas of the Irish Revolution, which, despite having almost 1,000 pages, weighing 5kg and costing €59, has sold 22,000 copies since September. It is edited by John Crowley, Donál Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo and published by Cork University Press.
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I Found My Tribe by Ruth Fitzmaurice won Newcomer of the Year; Wounds: A Memoir of War & Love by Fergal Keane was voted Non-Fiction Book of the Year, while Motherfoclóir by Darach Ó Séaghdha of the popular @theirishfor Twitter account won Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year. Rory O’Connell’s Cook Well, Eat Well won Cookbook of the Year while The Choice by Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly won Sports Book of the Year.
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A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea: Favourite Rhymes from an Irish Childhood by Sarah Webb and illustrated by Steve Mc Carthy won Children’s Book of the Year (Junior) while Stand by Me by Judi Curtin took the senior title and Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan, illustrated by Karen Vaughan, won the teen / young adult award.
The Therapy House by Julie Parsons, her first book in nine years, was voted Crime Fiction Book of the Year, while he: a novel by John Connolly, his fictional biography of Stan Laurel , won the Ryan Tubridy Show Listener’s Choice Award.
Seven Sugar Cubes by Clodagh Beresford Dunne, first published in The Irish Times, is the Irish Poem of the Year, while Back to Bones by Christine Dwyer Hickey, which was longlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, is the Short Story of the Year.
Poet Eavan Boland was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award and bestselling children’s author David Walliams was the recipient of the International Recognition Award.
Awards chairmanLarry Mac Hale said: “When you scan the list of award winners, it makes you feel proud to be part of an industry that produces so many great Irish writers. What’s even more encouraging is the number of young writers who are breaking through every year. Irish writing is in good hands and I really hope that more and more people will support them by giving books for Christmas this year.”
More than 50,000 people voted to select the winners. The public can vote for their overall book of the year at bgeirishbookawards.ie until December 15th. Highlights of the ceremony, presented by Keelin Shanley and Evelyn O’Rourke will be broadcast on RTÉ One at 9.30pm tonight.
Best Irish Published Book of the Year
Atlas of the Revolution - John Crowley, Donál Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo (Cork University Press)
Children’s Book of the Year (Junior)
A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea - Favourite Rhymes from an Irish Childhood - Sarah Webb illustrated by Steve Mc Carthy (O’Brien Press)
Children’s Book of the Year (Senior)
Stand by Me - Judi Curtin (O’Brien Press)
Teen / Young Adult Book of the Year
Tangleweed and Brine - Deirdre Sullivan illustrated by Karen Vaughan (Little Island)
Novel of the Year
Midwinter Break - Bernard MacLaverty (Jonathan Cape)
Popular Fiction Book of the Year
The Break - Marian Keyes (Michael Joseph)
Crime Fiction Book of the Year
The Therapy House - Julie Parsons (New Island Books)
Newcomer of the Year
I Found my Tribe - Ruth Fitzmaurice (Chatto & Windus)
Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Wounds: A Memoir of War & Love - Fergal Keane (Williams Collins)
Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Motherfoclóir - Darach Ó Séaghdha (Head of Zeus)
Cookbook of the Year
Cook Well, Eat Well - Rory O’Connell (Gill Books)
Sports Book of the Year
The Choice - Philly McMahon with Niall Kelly (Gill Books)
The Ryan Tubridy Show Listener’s Choice Award
he: A novel - John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton)
Irish Poem of the Year
Seven Sugar Cubes - Clodagh Beresford Dunne (From The Irish Times)
Short Story of the Year
Back to Bones - Christine Dwyer Hickey
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