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International Booker Prize 2026: The longlist in full

International Booker Prize 2026: The longlist in full

Longlist features two books first published in their original languages more than 30 years ago

Really getting lost in a good book is one way to find better mental health

Really getting lost in a good book is one way to find better mental health

Ireland Reads Day on February 28th is a government initiative to celebrate the joy of reading

Young Sherlock star Dónal Finn: Why I turned Holmes’s enemy Moriarty into a Kerry man

Young Sherlock star Dónal Finn: Why I turned Holmes’s enemy Moriarty into a Kerry man

Don’t be surprised if Guy Ritchie’s new series catapults the young Cork actor into being Ireland’s next acting superstar

Hated by all the Right People by Jason Zengerle: Will Tucker Carlson become next Maga leader?

Hated by all the Right People by Jason Zengerle: Will Tucker Carlson become next Maga leader?

This biography of the right-wing media celebrity is timely, informative and highly readable

Outsider by Paul Cullen: Moving memoir holds a torch up to cruel attitudes of the past

Outsider by Paul Cullen: Moving memoir holds a torch up to cruel attitudes of the past

Cullen’s journey of discovery is the type that can haunt its reader in the middle of the night

A day in the life of the mobile library serving the people of the Beara Peninsula in Cork

A day in the life of the mobile library serving the people of the Beara Peninsula in Cork

Librarian Zillah Ní Loideoin and driver Seán Crowley have been working together for 16 years, bringing books to schoolchildren, nursing homes, book clubs and individual homes around Co Cork

In Glass Houses by Edel Coffey: Another pitting of the haves against the have-nots

In Glass Houses by Edel Coffey: Another pitting of the haves against the have-nots

The New York setting is ideal for exploring the amorality of those corrupted by power, although the distinction between rich and poor is a little too neat

Poem of the week: On the Lead Mines

Poem of the week: On the Lead Mines

A new work by Patricia McCarthy

Basic Income for the Arts is now permanent. But for artists who apply, the money is not

Basic Income for the Arts is now permanent. But for artists who apply, the money is not

Campaigners say the cyclical scheme is ‘a decent start’ but want it expanded. Others are unsure ‘how sustainable it is to support every artist in the country forever’

Orange by Curtis Garner: A novel that might have made a good short story

Orange by Curtis Garner: A novel that might have made a good short story

Garner ought to have been held back, edited, forced to rewrite. That’s what agents, publishers, editors are for

Unspeakable by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne: Human triumph after trauma

Unspeakable by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne: Human triumph after trauma

If you are therapy-curious, a therapist or simply interested in the tenacity of the human spirit, this is for you

Charleen Hurtubise: ‘People fall into relationship patterns that feel familiar rather than good’

Charleen Hurtubise: ‘People fall into relationship patterns that feel familiar rather than good’

The US-born author on how Ireland has shaped her language around parenthood, the antidote to ‘the cruelty and chaos of Ice’ and her opposition to ‘the obscene accumulation of wealth’

Jen Bray: ‘When I was getting so anxious about book publicity, I had to examine why’

Jen Bray: ‘When I was getting so anxious about book publicity, I had to examine why’

The journalist and debut novelist on a life-altering attack, forging a career in writing and learning to take risks

New crime fiction: Gripping new work from Claire McGowan, Patricia Gibney and more

New crime fiction: Gripping new work from Claire McGowan, Patricia Gibney and more

The Other Couple by Claire McGowan; Three Windows by Patricia Gibney; The Final Problem by Arturo Pérez-Reverte; Gone for Good by Sarah Crossan; and True Blue by Joe Thomas

Female, Nude by Rhiannon Lucy Coslett: A sex-on-the-beach cocktail garnished with a polemic on the female gaze

Female, Nude by Rhiannon Lucy Coslett: A sex-on-the-beach cocktail garnished with a polemic on the female gaze

The novel has its bursts of lunacy and humour but would have been more subversive had the author embraced its shallow fun

New Green Fool by Alan Cunningham: A book of quiet beauty that circles Irishness without trying to possess it

New Green Fool by Alan Cunningham: A book of quiet beauty that circles Irishness without trying to possess it

At the book’s core is an ongoing dialogue with Patrick Kavanagh’s The Green Fool

Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons

Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons

Hidden histories of the Mizen; a celebration of a forgotten poet; and observations of the natural world

Colm Tóibín and Tana French among big names at International Literature Festival Dublin

Colm Tóibín and Tana French among big names at International Literature Festival Dublin

Books newsletter: a wrap of the latest news and preview of tomorrow’s pages

Good People by Patmeena Sabit: An exhilarating read that prompts physical responses

Good People by Patmeena Sabit: An exhilarating read that prompts physical responses

This stunning novel has the grip of a true-crime documentary

The Next World War by Peter Apps: Cautious optimism - for those who can defend themselves

The Next World War by Peter Apps: Cautious optimism - for those who can defend themselves

The Next World War – The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It

Oscar Wilde death bed photo sells for about 100 times its guide price

Oscar Wilde death bed photo sells for about 100 times its guide price

The image was taken on the day Wilde died

Gisèle Pelicot’s powerful memoir A Hymn to Life: ‘Love is not dead. I am not dead’

Gisèle Pelicot’s powerful memoir A Hymn to Life: ‘Love is not dead. I am not dead’

This is not a book about collapse, nor a story of triumphant overcoming. It is something more complex

Nation of Strangers by Ece Temelkuran: ‘These times are orphaning all that is humane’

Nation of Strangers by Ece Temelkuran: ‘These times are orphaning all that is humane’

These pronouncements from a Turkish exile would have appeared overly pessimistic a few years ago. Now they seem prescient

Sally Rooney and Niamh Ní Mhaoleoin longlisted for Dublin Literary Award

Sally Rooney and Niamh Ní Mhaoleoin longlisted for Dublin Literary Award

Award-winning writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alan Hollinghurst and Ocean Vuong are also nominated for the award

An Asylum for My Affections. Sketches of Maeve Brennan: A thoughtful and authoritative anthology

An Asylum for My Affections. Sketches of Maeve Brennan: A thoughtful and authoritative anthology

Essays by Belinda McKeon, Niamh Campbell, Roddy Doyle and many others examine the life and work of the great Irish author

Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize shortlist revealed

Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize shortlist revealed

Shortlist ‘highlights the depth of analysis brought to bear on various aspects of recent Irish history’, says Prof Roy Foster

Judeophobia. A History: examining hatred of Jews and how it has mutated over time

Judeophobia. A History: examining hatred of Jews and how it has mutated over time

Author traces phenomenon from Middle Ages to modern day, even among modern socialist and anarchist philosophers

Even the most pinch-mouthed Ulsterman is yearning for a rain-free moment

Even the most pinch-mouthed Ulsterman is yearning for a rain-free moment

Rain does a lot for popular culture. You’ll see a fair bit of it in Wuthering Heights if you check it out

Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy 2.0, and I want my Wuthering Heights sequel

Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy 2.0, and I want my Wuthering Heights sequel

The second half of Emily Brontë’s novel is often left out of adaptations. It deserves its own film

Kiss all the time. Dystopia, occasionally: YA reads for February

Kiss all the time. Dystopia, occasionally: YA reads for February

Miranda Reason’s debut novel, Day of Now, and new books from Sarah Crossan, Sonora Reyes, Amie Kaufman and KL Kettle

Author Ian McGuire: ‘Historical fiction is able to encourage the longer view’

Author Ian McGuire: ‘Historical fiction is able to encourage the longer view’

The historical novelist on his latest book, White River Crossing; his desire to hobble the tech bros; and his Fermanagh grandfather

‘Wuthering Heights’ star Alison Oliver: ‘I really didn’t imagine a film career for myself’

‘Wuthering Heights’ star Alison Oliver: ‘I really didn’t imagine a film career for myself’

The Irish actor stars alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in Emerald Fennell’s Emily Brontë adaptation

The Triangle of Power by Alexander Stubb: Finnish president’s view of a fractured world

The Triangle of Power by Alexander Stubb: Finnish president’s view of a fractured world

How ‘values-based realism’ shapes Stubb’s vision of international order

Edel Coffey: ‘I didn’t touch my book deal money for a year. I was afraid they’d made a mistake’

Edel Coffey: ‘I didn’t touch my book deal money for a year. I was afraid they’d made a mistake’

Now three books in, as she says, the author and journalist spent many years as a ‘shadow artist’, circling the thing she loved

Glyph by Ali Smith: Ghosts in our machinery

Glyph by Ali Smith: Ghosts in our machinery

This short, smart and bleakly funny novel is fuelled by incredulity at the state of contemporary England

Paschal Donohoe on Capitalism, A Global History by Sven Beckert: Demanding but magisterial

Paschal Donohoe on Capitalism, A Global History by Sven Beckert: Demanding but magisterial

Its more than 1,000 pages require sustained focus and stamina but it should not languish unread on dusty shelves

The Power of Guilt by Chris Moore: A formidable read that will challenge, unsettle and provoke

The Power of Guilt by Chris Moore: A formidable read that will challenge, unsettle and provoke

Moore takes a scholarly and personal deep dive into one of the most excruciating emotions we experience

A Sicilian Man by Caroline Moorehead: Leonardo Sciascia’s ‘consciousness of doubt’

A Sicilian Man by Caroline Moorehead: Leonardo Sciascia’s ‘consciousness of doubt’

Biography explores the writings of Italian author who regularly took swipes at the church, the state and, most dangerously, the Mafia

Worlds of Islam: A Global History - epic, authoritative, multilayered reading

Worlds of Islam: A Global History - epic, authoritative, multilayered reading

Author takes pains to break down crucial distinctions between peace-loving creed and political Islamism

Books in brief: Benbecula; Evolution of Telecommunications; Hurling 1810

Books in brief: Benbecula; Evolution of Telecommunications; Hurling 1810

Dark, twisty fare from the Hebrides; Ireland’s place in telecoms history; and small ball meets Big House

Poem of the week: Anxiety Attack

Poem of the week: Anxiety Attack

A new work by Greg Delanty

Close to Home is to be adapted for TV

Close to Home is to be adapted for TV

Books newsletter: a wrap of the latest news and preview of tomorrow’s pages

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine: A deeply human novel of reckoning and love

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine: A deeply human novel of reckoning and love

The Lebanese author makes writing look easy, though only a master craftsperson could produce this book

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray: Compelling take on queer adolescence and platonic parenthood

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray: Compelling take on queer adolescence and platonic parenthood

The book shines in the adolescent scenes, which have real emotional impact

Scifi/fantasy: Dave Rudden’s Sister Wake a politically charged epic that draws on Irish history

Scifi/fantasy: Dave Rudden’s Sister Wake a politically charged epic that draws on Irish history

Plus Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver, The Killing Time by Elly Griffiths, and more

Ireland’s fascination with ancient Greece, from our origin legends to Joyce’s Ulysses

Ireland’s fascination with ancient Greece, from our origin legends to Joyce’s Ulysses

Irish Migrations and Classical Antiquity explores the connections between Irish myths and modern stories and the classical world

John Boyne’s review of Crux by Gabriel Tallent: It’s refreshing to read positive aspects of youth

John Boyne’s review of Crux by Gabriel Tallent: It’s refreshing to read positive aspects of youth

The author’s focus is on the resilience of young people confronted by difficult family circumstances

Exit Stalin: The Soviet Union as a Civilization – Accessible history of a new society

Exit Stalin: The Soviet Union as a Civilization – Accessible history of a new society

Mark B Smith ends on a poignant note and makes a rare confession for a historian

Mark Haddon’s life-affirming brush with death: ‘The grim reaper is not all he’s made out to be’

Mark Haddon’s life-affirming brush with death: ‘The grim reaper is not all he’s made out to be’

The author on writing about his less-than-maternal mother, why he turned down an OBE and how a brush with death relieved him of anxiety

After all these years in Berlin, I’m back in Dublin as a tourist in my hometown

After all these years in Berlin, I’m back in Dublin as a tourist in my hometown

I once knew Dublin inside out, but cities are not known for standing still. A new generation of Dubliners owns the city now

Books

Book ReviewsFighting Words

International Booker Prize 2026: The longlist in full

International Booker Prize 2026: The longlist in full

By Martin Doyle
Listen | 07:03
Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood: a literary titan on the art of writing – and art of living

Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood: a literary titan on the art of writing – and art of living

By Nathan Smith
Listen | 05:27

Hated by all the Right People by Jason Zengerle: Will Tucker Carlson become next Maga leader?

This biography of the right-wing media celebrity is timely, informative and highly readable

By Daniel Geary

Outsider by Paul Cullen: Moving memoir holds a torch up to cruel attitudes of the past


A day in the life of the mobile library serving the people of the Beara Peninsula in Cork


In Glass Houses by Edel Coffey: Another pitting of the haves against the have-nots


Poem of the week: On the Lead Mines


Orange by Curtis Garner: A novel that might have made a good short story


Unspeakable by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne: Human triumph after trauma


Charleen Hurtubise: ‘People fall into relationship patterns that feel familiar rather than good’




SHORT STORIES

‘The feeling came back, the one I had been successfully avoiding for so long: shame’

‘The feeling came back, the one I had been successfully avoiding for so long: shame’

By Soula Emmanuel
Lucy Caldwell: ‘People often misunderstand the appeal of a short story’

Lucy Caldwell: ‘People often misunderstand the appeal of a short story’

By Lucy Caldwell
Book Club

Book Club

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POETRY

Poem of the week: On the Lead Mines

Poem of the week: On the Lead Mines

By Patricia McCarthy
Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons

Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons

By Paul Clements
Poem of the week: Anxiety Attack

Poem of the week: Anxiety Attack

By Greg Delanty

Jen Bray: ‘When I was getting so anxious about book publicity, I had to examine why’

Jen Bray: ‘When I was getting so anxious about book publicity, I had to examine why’

By Nadine O’Regan

New crime fiction: Gripping new work from Claire McGowan, Patricia Gibney and more

New crime fiction: Gripping new work from Claire McGowan, Patricia Gibney and more

By Declan Burke

Female, Nude by Rhiannon Lucy Coslett: A sex-on-the-beach cocktail garnished with a polemic on the female gaze

Female, Nude by Rhiannon Lucy Coslett: A sex-on-the-beach cocktail garnished with a polemic on the female gaze

By Mei Chin

New Green Fool by Alan Cunningham: A book of quiet beauty that circles Irishness without trying to possess it

New Green Fool by Alan Cunningham: A book of quiet beauty that circles Irishness without trying to possess it

By Adam Wyeth

Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons

Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons

By Paul Clements

Colm Tóibín and Tana French among big names at International Literature Festival Dublin

Colm Tóibín and Tana French among big names at International Literature Festival Dublin

By Martin Doyle

Good People by Patmeena Sabit: An exhilarating read that prompts physical responses

Good People by Patmeena Sabit: An exhilarating read that prompts physical responses

By Mei Chin

The Next World War by Peter Apps: Cautious optimism - for those who can defend themselves

The Next World War by Peter Apps: Cautious optimism - for those who can defend themselves

By Tom Clonan

Oscar Wilde death bed photo sells for about 100 times its guide price

Oscar Wilde death bed photo sells for about 100 times its guide price

By Órla Ryan

Gisèle Pelicot’s powerful memoir A Hymn to Life: ‘Love is not dead. I am not dead’

Gisèle Pelicot’s powerful memoir A Hymn to Life: ‘Love is not dead. I am not dead’

By Roe McDermott

Nation of Strangers by Ece Temelkuran: ‘These times are orphaning all that is humane’

Nation of Strangers by Ece Temelkuran: ‘These times are orphaning all that is humane’

By John Walshe

Sally Rooney and Niamh Ní Mhaoleoin longlisted for Dublin Literary Award

Sally Rooney and Niamh Ní Mhaoleoin longlisted for Dublin Literary Award

By Martin Doyle

An Asylum for My Affections. Sketches of Maeve Brennan: A thoughtful and authoritative anthology

An Asylum for My Affections. Sketches of Maeve Brennan: A thoughtful and authoritative anthology

By Sarah Gilmartin

Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize shortlist revealed

Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize shortlist revealed

By Martin Doyle

Judeophobia. A History: examining hatred of Jews and how it has mutated over time

Judeophobia. A History: examining hatred of Jews and how it has mutated over time

By Carla King

Kiss all the time. Dystopia, occasionally: YA reads for February

Kiss all the time. Dystopia, occasionally: YA reads for February

By Claire Hennessy

Author Ian McGuire: ‘Historical fiction is able to encourage the longer view’

Author Ian McGuire: ‘Historical fiction is able to encourage the longer view’

By Martin Doyle

The Triangle of Power by Alexander Stubb: Finnish president’s view of a fractured world

The Triangle of Power by Alexander Stubb: Finnish president’s view of a fractured world

By Michael Sanfey

Edel Coffey: ‘I didn’t touch my book deal money for a year. I was afraid they’d made a mistake’

Edel Coffey: ‘I didn’t touch my book deal money for a year. I was afraid they’d made a mistake’

By Niamh Donnelly

Glyph by Ali Smith: Ghosts in our machinery

Glyph by Ali Smith: Ghosts in our machinery

By Val Nolan

Paschal Donohoe on Capitalism, A Global History by Sven Beckert: Demanding but magisterial

Paschal Donohoe on Capitalism, A Global History by Sven Beckert: Demanding but magisterial

By Paschal Donohoe

The Power of Guilt by Chris Moore: A formidable read that will challenge, unsettle and provoke

The Power of Guilt by Chris Moore: A formidable read that will challenge, unsettle and provoke

By Paul D'Alton

A Sicilian Man by Caroline Moorehead: Leonardo Sciascia’s ‘consciousness of doubt’

A Sicilian Man by Caroline Moorehead: Leonardo Sciascia’s ‘consciousness of doubt’

By John Quin

Worlds of Islam: A Global History - epic, authoritative, multilayered reading

Worlds of Islam: A Global History - epic, authoritative, multilayered reading

By Andrew Lynch

Books in brief: Benbecula; Evolution of Telecommunications; Hurling 1810

Books in brief: Benbecula; Evolution of Telecommunications; Hurling 1810

By John Walshe

Poem of the week: Anxiety Attack

Poem of the week: Anxiety Attack

By Greg Delanty

Close to Home is to be adapted for TV

Close to Home is to be adapted for TV

By Martin Doyle

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine: A deeply human novel of reckoning and love

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine: A deeply human novel of reckoning and love

By Sally Hayden

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray: Compelling take on queer adolescence and platonic parenthood

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray: Compelling take on queer adolescence and platonic parenthood

By Edel Coffey

Scifi/fantasy: Dave Rudden’s Sister Wake a politically charged epic that draws on Irish history

Scifi/fantasy: Dave Rudden’s Sister Wake a politically charged epic that draws on Irish history

By Declan Burke



MOST READ

1

Hit-and-run driver who killed Mia Lily Keogh O’Keeffe (16) was unaccompanied learner, gardaí believe


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Life at Ireland’s biggest boarding school: ‘I have so much more independence’


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Dentist who defrauded HSE over 17 years is jailed and ordered to pay €100,000


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Prominent publican’s son and daughter plead guilty to assault at four-star Co Limerick hotel


5

Creche worker who said she was not rostered due to needing step at changing table loses case

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