Eason, Ireland’s leading book retailer, is marking 140 years in business as a constant presence at the heart of Irish culture and education.
To mark the milestone, Eason has launched Our Story in Books, a curated collection spotlighting the literary, social, and cultural movements that have shaped modern Ireland throughout the company’s 140-year history. The collection spans iconic works from W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce through to contemporary voices including Roddy Doyle, Sally Rooney, and Maeve Binchy. The curated collection is available to view online here.
Readers can explore the defining chapters of Eason’s own history here.
Founded in 1886 and still Irish-owned, Eason has been part of Irish life and society across generations. It briefly employed a young Seán O’Casey, who was sacked after refusing to remove his cap to collect his wages. Eason traded through the 1913 Dublin Lockout, was destroyed by fire during the 1916 Easter Rising and rebuilt to serve readers through the struggle for independence and the birth of the new State.
As Ireland modernised, Eason championed generations of Irish writers, and saw queues down the street for midnight launches such as Harry Potter. The flagship O’Connell Street store has only locked its doors for three high-security signings: Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and U2.
“Reaching 140 years in business is an incredible milestone, reflecting the special, lasting connection Eason shares with communities across Ireland,” Lisa O’Brien, group head of ecommerce and marketing, said. “While the ways people browse, read, and shop have transformed since our founding in 1886, our core purpose of fostering a lifelong love of reading and championing Irish voices remains unchanged.”
“This anniversary is an opportunity to express our gratitude to our dedicated teams, the brilliant Irish writers and publishers who inspire us, and the generations of loyal customers who have made Eason a beloved part of their lives. We are proud to honour our heritage while looking forward to the next chapter.”
Tomorrow’s pages
In The Irish Times tomorrow, Sarah Moss writes about setting her first book entirely in Ireland, her adopted homeland, and what it means to be an immigrant writer. Yiyun Li talks to Niamh Donnelly about her new novel, Music Against the Night, reimagining the life of Dublin composer John Field, and coping with the loss of two sons to suicide. Tim Hannigan, author of The Pathless Land: Finding A Way Across Ireland, discusses the lack of public access for walkers. And there is a Q&A with Emma Heatherington, author of Together for Christmas and a new country & Irish musical.
Reviews are Christopher Kissane on A Letter Home by Kerby A Miller and Breandán Mac Suibhnel Donald Clarke on The Queerest of Folk by Russell T Davies and Out Now by Scott Bryan; Eamon Sweeney on Edged in Blue: A Rock & Roll Odyssey with Rory Gallagher by Dónal Gallagher; Claire Hennessy on the best new YA fiction; Kevin Gildea on Gift Grub & Me by Mario Rosenstock; Henrietta McKervey on Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li; Phoebe Pascoe on Taipei Story by Rebecca F Kuang; John Quin on Dodge City by Patrick deWitt; Enda O’Doherty on The Real Nigel Farage: A Would-Be Prime Minister On Trial by John Sweeney; Céire Sadlier on In One Brief Moment All Eternity by Elif Shafak; Roe McDermott on Guilty Pleasure: The Pornification of the Internet, the Economy, and Everything Else by Patricia Nilsson; and Daniel Geary on Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State by Michael Lewis.
Leaves Festival of Writing and Music
Leaves Festival of Writing and Music returns to Laois from November 5th to 7th, bringing three full days of talks, workshops and performances to venues throughout the county, including bestselling Aisling series authors Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen in conversation.
Laois’s One County One Book is The Boy from the Sea and author Garrett Carr will take part in a number of events, including a conversation with debut novelist Neil Tully, author of The Visit.
Other events include Dermot Bolger in conversation with Carlo Gébler and a special evening marking Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union will be celebrated in the company of Nina George alongside Hugo Hamilton.
Musical artist and singer Méav comes to Leaves with her blend of traditional Irish, classical, and folk songs. For rock music fans, Dónal Gallagher will discuss his new biography of his brother Rory with Ann Marie Kelly.
As always, home-grown Laois talent is showcased with Portlaoise-born novelist Helen Cullen and renowned harpist Tríona Marshall.
Nine Dot Prize
The Nine Dot Prize, a global problem-solving competition, has just launched its new question for its 10th anniversary. Every two years it sets a question of worldwide importance, awarding $100,000 and a book deal for the best and most original response.
For its 2026/27 edition, the prize jury asks: “Who gains from saving nature?” The prize is looking for responses of true originality, regardless of the individuals previous experience and writing. Submissions must be 3,000 words and should be accompanied by an outline detailing how the entrant would expand their argument into a short book of between 25,000–40,000 words, supported by independent research.
The winner will receive $100,000 and a book contract and editorial support from Cambridge University Press, as well as the opportunity to spend a term at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at Cambridge University.
Nero New Writers Prize
The Nero Book Awards have announced the shortlist for this year’s Nero New Writers Prize in association with Brunel University of London. Stories by five authors, two with a strong Irish connection, were chosen by a panel chaired by Paul Murray, 2023 Nero Gold Prize winner for The Bee Sting, Booker Prize winner and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel, Bernardine Evaristo, and Irish writer Helen Cullen, Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel.
Launched last year to run alongside the prestigious and highly successful Nero Book Awards, the Nero New Writers Prize in association with Brunel University of London seeks to discover the writing stars of the future and support their development.
Donagh O’Malley was shortlisted for Holding On. A successful artist living in New York visits his parents in Ireland for what may be the last time, following an HIV diagnosis. Without a cure in sight, will his parents rise to care for their ailing son, or yield to stigma?
The judges said: “This is a sensitive and soulful story that exhibits great restraint and control of its form. It offers a poignant lens through which to consider the impact of the HIV crisis.”
O’Malley is a Dublin-based writer with a background in music licensing. After living in New York and London, he returned to Ireland, where he is raising his young son.
Harriet Bradley was shortlisted for Conamar, in which a nurse in England returns to the west of Ireland with her siblings to bury their mother. Old tensions resurface as ghosts from the past – real and imagined – linger. The judges described Bradley’s story as ‘emotionally impactive’ and ‘suspenseful’. Bradley, whose grandmother is from Limerick, is working on a novel-in-stories following three generations of an Anglo-Irish family across continents.
Also shortlisted were Saadiya Chaudary Alam, Eleanor James and Tom Milner.
Each author will receive £1,000 and go on to compete to win the Nero New Writers Prize, which will be announced at a ceremony at Brunel on November 18th. The winner will receive £3,000, a scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at Brunel and an introductory meeting with a literary agent.
2027 Women’s Prize juries
The 2027 Women’s Prize for Fiction, the largest celebration of women’s creativity in the world, will be chaired by Merve Emre, scholar, critic, editor and professor, joined by Eimear McBride, novelist and writer; Charlotte Collins, Editor-in-Chief of SheerLuxe, broadcaster and podcast host; Esther Freud, novelist and playwright; Theresa Lola, poet, writer and artist.
The 2027 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction will be chaired by Susie Dent, lexicographer, writer and broadcaster, joined by Shrabani Basu, historian, biographer, and journalist; Reeta Chakrabarti, journalist, broadcaster and novelist; Sophie Morgan, writer, broadcaster, artist and disability advocate, and Emma Reed Turrell; psychotherapist, author, podcaster and speaker.
Ballymun Library turns 50
Dublin City Council’s Ballymun Library has marked its 50th anniversary with a community celebration hosted by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daryl Barron. Officially opened by then lord mayor, Jim Mitchell, on October 13th, 1976, the library was at the time the largest and best-equipped library in the city, with an opening stock of 35,000 books.
It was the third branch library built by Dublin Corporation in the 1970s, after Dolphin’s Barn and Raheny, and today serves Ballymun, Glasnevin, Santry, Whitehall and the surrounding areas. Built by Kenneally and O’Keeffe contractors at a cost of £150,000, the distinctive cruciform building was designed by Dublin Corporation Architects in the Civic Amenities Department.
The library has its own place in Dublin’s cultural history. Its visitors have included President Patrick Hillery and Roddy Doyle, and the writers Patricia Scanlan and Pádraig Kenny both worked there.
Brendan Teeling, Acting City Librarian, said, “Ballymun Library opened in 1976 with a clear idea of what a modern public library could offer its community, and it has never stood still. People still come here for books, and they also come to study, get online, borrow a laptop, play games or take part in one of the hundreds of events held here every year. The library has changed with Ballymun, and Dublin City Council will keep investing in it so that it continues to meet the needs of the people it serves.”
