The six titles competing for the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year Award are drawn from the category winners at the An Post Irish Book Awards, and are chosen on the principle of the highest number of votes secured during the shortlist voting process across all categories.
The overall ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2024’ winner will now be decided by a distinguished panel of judges, including a literary editor, Director of International Trade with An Post, the CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, the Managing Director of Dubray Books and a literary journalist.
The judging panel consists of:
- Maria Dickenson, Judging Chair – General Manager of Dubray, Board Member of the An Post Irish Book Awards
- Madeleine Keane – Literary editor of the Sunday Independent, lecturer at University College Dublin and Chair of Children’s Books Ireland
- Cyril McGrane – A certified public accountant by profession, Cyril has worked with An Post for the last 27 years, holding a succession of senior roles in retail, operational and logistics management. Cyril is An Post’s key liaison lead with IPC and UPU and he is leading An Post’s Customs 2020 and Brexit programmes
- Elaina Ryan – CEO of Children’s Books Ireland and Co-Artistic Director of Tower and Tales Children’s Books Festival in Co. Wexford
- Alex Clark – A critic, journalist and broadcaster, Alex is patron of the Cambridge Literary Festival and has judged many literary awards, including the Booker Prize.
One of the six titles will be revealed as the ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2024’ during a one-hour television special hosted by Oliver Callan on RTÉ One on Thursday, 19th December at 10:15 PM
Previous winners of the An Post Irish Book of the Year Award include Paul Murray for The Bee Sting, Sally Hayden for My Fourth Time, We Drowned, Fintan O’Toole for We Don’t Know Ourselves, Doireann Ní Ghríofa for A Ghost in the Throat, the late Vicky Phelan for Overcoming, Emilie Pine for Notes to Self, John Crowley, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo for Atlas of the Irish Revolution, Mike McCormack for Solar Bones, Louise O’Neill for Asking For It, Mary Costello for Academy St, Donal Ryan for The Spinning Heart, Michael Harding for Staring at Lakes, and Belinda McKeon for Solace.