Loading
Best Irish Authors New and Old
Celebrate top Irish writers with these compelling and award-winning novels.
Published on March 15, 2022
Exciting Times: A Novel
Naoise Dolan“Exciting Times” tells the story of Ava, an Irish expat working as an English teacher for rich children in Hong Kong. She quickly becomes entangled in a love triangle with wealthy banker Julian and dynamic attorney Edith (who Ava wants to be like and be with). Fascinating geopolitics, dissections of class, and old fashioned romance make Dolan’s debut shine.
Highfire: A Novel
Eoin ColferIf you’re looking for a fun page-turner with sassy dialogue and madcap adventure, give a listen to Colfer’s freewheeling, irreverent romp through the swamps of Louisiana with a super-sweary dragon and his teenage sidekick with daddy issues.
Brooklyn: A Novel
Colm TóibínTóibín’s moving coming-of-age story follows Eilis Lacey, a young woman who leaves her family in Ireland in search of a better life in Brooklyn. Get swept up in this soaring adventure of an immigrant torn between the life she left behind and the promise of a new land. This book inspired a 2015 film by the same name, starring Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird,” “Little Women”).
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
Frank McCourtSpeaking of Brooklyn, McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir about his childhood split between the New York City borough and Ireland stole its way into readers’ hearts from the moment it was published in 1996. McCourt's touching book doesn’t shy away from the hardships of growing up in poverty with an alcoholic father, but it also basks in the joys of storytelling and the tenderness of his loving mother.
100 Poems
Seamus HeaneyWinner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Heaney has been praised as “the most important Irish poet since Yeats,” by Robert Lowell. This collection of poems, chosen by his family, is a slice of Heaney’s long writing career. It’s an anthology that welcomes new fans of poetry and long-lived followers of Heaney’s work.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar WildeNot only is Wilde one of the most famous Irish writers, he’s also one of the most revered in all of English literature. He wrote volumes of stories, poems, and plays, but published only one novel: The gothic masterpiece “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Dorian, the ultimate narcissist, sells his soul to stay young forever, letting his image in a portrait grow old instead.
Dubliners
James JoyceWhat list of great Irish novelists would be complete without an entry from the immensely influential Joyce? Get a real feel for life in Dublin in the early 1900s with this collection of stories, each featuring middle class Dubliners.
Solar Bones
Mike McCormackMcCormack is a star of experimental literature for a reason. He tells this award-winning story in a single sentence. And he manages to make that sentence mesmerizing, accessible, and witty as it unfolds over upwards of 200 pages. A middle-aged engineer reflects on small-town life in rural Ireland with imaginative, contemplative, and often-funny musings. McCormack adds a dash of mystery, too.
Young Skins: Stories
Colin BarrettBarrett was named a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35,” and his debut collection of stories won a slew of major literary awards. For the young men in “Young Skins,” life revolves around the local pub in a fictional small town in Ireland’s County Mayo, and as “Paris Review” writes, “The stories blend moments of horror with moments of hilarity, shocks of joy with shocks of despair, and no matter how grim a given scene by Barrett can get, it’s a thrill to be alive to hear him.”
When All Is Said: A Novel
Anne GriffinAt 84, Maurice Hannigan’s life has been long. On a random night in June, the octogenarian orders five different drinks at the Rainford House Hotel, each of which is dedicated to someone who played a significant role in his life, from absent son to late wife. Griffin’s moving novel is at once the story of an Irishman’s legacy and the vivid portrayal of little-known corners of Ireland.
White Rose, Black Forest
Eoin DempseyRebels, an evil regime, mystery, romance, and spies — Dempsey’s historical fiction novel has it all. Set in Germany’s Black Forest during World War II, a young woman whose entire family has been murdered by Nazis finds an unconscious airman lying in the snow. He’s wearing a Nazi uniform, but she can’t leave him to die. As she nurses him back to health in her isolated cabin, she discovers he’s not what he seems.
Dancer: A Novel
Colum McCannIrish-American McCann tells the nearly-true story of Rudolf Nureyev, a ballet dancer and choreographer who left the Soviet Union (and his disapproving father) to find fame in Europe and New York City. McCann explores Nureyev’s colorful life through the eyes of those who knew him, including his first dance teacher, Anna Vasileva, and his lover, Victor Parecci, in this fictional biography.
The King's Justice
E.M. PowellThis medieval thriller by master of suspense Powell keeps you on the edge of your seat. An orderly clerk and his disgraced royal assistant investigate what seems like an open-and-shut case, only to discover a ruthless killer is playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse — and they’re the ultimate prey.
Truth and Lies
Caroline MitchellMitchell’s chilling crime thriller, the first of the “DI Amy Winter” series, is a tense race against time. When Detective Inspector Amy Winter receives a twisted letter from a serial killer behind bars, her world begins to crumble around her. Now she must confront her dark past to bring peace to a grieving family — and save a kidnapped young girl.
Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told: A Novel
Tom PhelanA pair of decades-old murders in a small Irish village are long ago resolved but still unsolved. Journalist Patrick Bracken returns to find out what really happened those many years ago, and whether the entire village conspired together to rule the deaths “accidental,” even though there were two witnesses (including Bracken himself). Dark, quirky characters and vignettes of rural Ireland come together in this book that’s part comedy and part mystery.
White Savage: William Johnson and the Invention of America
Fintan O'TooleThis is the story of William Johnson, the Protestant convert who traveled to New York in the time of the British empire in 1738. O’Toole’s well-researched book chronicles his path as a fur trader, then landowner, and intermediary as the British/American relationship became strained. Johnson’s personal life — he had two wives, one European and one of the Mohawk tribe — and career were notable but ended before the Revolution. It’s a thorough look at the pivotal moments leading up to the American Revolution, through the lens of an Irishman and Torie turned American.
Snowflake: A Novel
Louise NealonNealon, an emerging Irish literary talent, doesn’t disappoint with this remarkable debut. Debbie leaves the only home she’s ever known — a farm in rural Ireland — to attend Trinity College in Dublin, but the transition is harder than expected as new experiences begin to shed a different light on her family’s quirks. “Snowflake” is a coming-of-age with impressive depth, revealing both funny and sobering looks at an authentic family.
Small Things Like These
Claire KeeganKeegan offers a haunting glimpse at Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries — institutions that housed (and abused) unwed mothers and their children in the not-so-distant past. When protagonist Bill Furlong discovers a young mother held in abysmal conditions, he must decide whether he will risk his family and reputation to rescue her. “Small Things Like These” considers questions of communal responsibility and complicit silence.
Skippy Dies: A Novel
Paul MurrayAn endearing cast of chaotic characters comes to life in delightful detail in this mystery meets coming-of-age tale. The story opens just as — no surprise, thanks to the title — Skippy dies. Why, and who from the Seabrooke College for boys is involved, is yet to be seen. Murray shines in voicing a variety of perspectives, from woeful adolescents to fed-up teachers.
Girl: A Novel
Edna O'BrienChilling, powerful, and deeply affecting, “Girl” is a fictionalized account of the 2014 Chibok, Nigeria schoolgirl kidnapping by Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram. Protagonist Maryam is kidnapped along with her classmates and subjected to brutal treatment before her eventual escape. With her straightforward style, O’Brien finds the perfect balance in demonstrating Maryam’s endurance and hopelessness. Her portrayal of long-lasting trauma is as authentic as it is commendable.
Frog Music
Emma DonoghueFrom the acclaimed author of “Room” comes a story set in seedy, smallpox-laden San Francisco in the 1870s. Blanche, an erotic dancer, entreprenuer, and new mother, strikes up a friendship with the equally-offbeat Jenny — whose murder sparks and pushes forward the novel’s plot. But “Frog Music” is much more than a murder mystery, addressing the psychology of motherhood, bigotry, and personal growth during the lively Gilded Age.
Actress
Anne EnrightSuccessful novelist Norah finally sets out to write the inevitable: A biography of her mother, the late Irish actress Katherine O’Dell. It’s through this lens that author Enright (“The Green Road,” “The Gathering”) explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, including all the friendship, fury, and heartbreak they entail. Katherine’s history is murky, and Norah’s search for the truth reveals as much about her own story as her mother’s.
One Hundred Names: A Novel
Cecelia AhernKitty’s career is on the brink of collapse when her dying mentor, Constance, makes a request: Write the book Constance didn’t have time to write. But all Constance leaves behind is a list of 100 seemingly unrelated names. Kitty interviews them all, gaining more perspective with each interview (could that have been Constance’s plan all along?). Ahern (“P.S. I Love You”) once again shines at examining the human experience, including love, loss, regret, and redemption.
Unraveling Oliver: A Novel
Liz NugentOliver and Alice live comfortable, contented lives as co-creators of children’s books — until Oliver brutally attacks Alice, putting her into a coma. From this dramatic scene, “Unraveling Oliver” does just that, diving into the mind of the titular character in a steady, spellbinding exploration of psychopathy.