From the continuation of a beloved series to personal journeys and our native language, there are so many great Irish books being released now and in the coming months
The Irish Words You Should Know – Hector O’hEochagáin
If you’re keen to be able to throw the ‘cúpla focail’ into your everyday conversations, this is the book for you. In it, Hector tells the stories about Irish words in a way that will give you a new perspective on the land, the weather, relationships, feelings, and even the body. Whether you’re a gaeilgeoir or, like Hector, you were no swot in school and couldn’t write a word of Irish, you’ll enjoy reading this. Available to buy now in all good bookshops, mar a deir siad.
Jenny and Máiréad: What We Know Now – Jenny Kelly and Máiréad Ronan
If you’re a fan of their podcast, Jenny and Máiréad Now, you’ll love this book packed with stories, down-to-earth advice, and the insights and wisdom that come from a friendship spanning two decades. Fromo single life, career highs, break-ups, marriages, divorce and motherhood to death, drinking, diets and ageing, no topic is off the table. Pre-order now or buy in shops from 24 October.
Nature Boy: A memoir of birdsong and belonging by Seán Ronayne
After an autism diagnosis at the age of 32, Seán Ronayne’s life finally began to make sense to him. In 2021, he set out on his mission to be the first person to sound record all the regularly occurring bird species in Ireland. Nature Boy is a celebration of birds, connection and being true to yourself – and of the extraordinary, healing power of nature. Pre-order now or buy in shops from 10 October.
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ireland’s Lighthouses – David Hare
This visually beautiful encyclopaedia of Ireland’s lighthouses is packed with easy-to-digest facts which will engage young readers with topics such as science, engineering and history. They will also discover how lighthouses were built and how they save lives at sea, learn what it’s like to live and work in a lighthouse and test their knowledge with a lighthouse quiz! Available to buy now.
City Girls Forever – Patricia Scanlon
If you read Patricia Scanlon’s City Girls and City Lives, (published in 1992 and 2000 respectively) you’ll know just how exciting it is to hear that there is another sequel on the way. We can’t wait to reacquaint ourselves with Devlin, Caroline and Maggie but unfortunately, we have to wait – until next March to be precise. On the bright side, that gives us plenty of time to re-read the first two books ahead of the third instalment!
Irish Book Week 2024
In other book news, Bookselling Ireland has announced that Irish Book Week 2024 will take place from 19 – 26 October.
Now in its seventh year, Irish Book Week is a nationwide celebration of Irish bookshops, Irish books, publishers, writers, illustrators, and poets. The campaign aims to encourage people from across Ireland to visit their local bookshops to discover and enjoy a range of exciting and interesting events, readings, parties, displays and much more.
Speaking about Irish Book Week, Peter McKay, President of Publishing Ireland, commented: “Booksellers are an essential part of Irish cultural life and a vital part of the publishing ecosystem. In that week, we celebrate the role of bookshops in Irish culture and entertainment and also their positive impact on the economy.
“Across Europe, publishing generates more revenue than any other single cultural activity and Ireland plays its part in that success. Dublin’s status as an UNESCO City of Literature (one of fewer than fifty cities worldwide) is a marker of that status. Irish Book Week will be a truly marvellous time, but don’t wait until October, give yourself a treat and visit your local bookshop this week and then, make a habit of it.”
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