02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Who made the shortlist for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award?
Now celebrating its 31st year, the award continues to honour exceptional fiction from Irish writers and remains a standout moment in the country's literary calendar.
Sponsored by Kerry Group, the award carries a total prize fund of €22,000, with €20,000 awarded to the winner and €500 for each shortlisted author.
This year's adjudicators are acclaimed authors, Carol Drinkwater and Paul McVeigh. They reviewed over 48 submitted novels and carefully selected five outstanding titles that reflect the strength, imagination, and storytelling brilliance of contemporary Irish fiction.
The shortlist for the 2025 Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award is: Christine Dwyer Hickey – Our London Lives (Atlantic Books, 2024); Joseph O'Connor – The Ghosts of Rome (Harvill Secker, 2025); Colm Tóibín – Long Island (Picador and Pan Macmillan, 2024); Niall Williams – Time of the Child (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024), and Donal Ryan – Heart, Be At Peace (Penguin Random House, 2024).
Catherine Keogh is Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Kerry Group. She said the company's 31-year partnership with Listowel Writers' Week stands as a testament to its enduring belief in the power of storytelling to inspire and connect.
'Each year, the calibre of literary talent and vision among the shortlisted writers astounds us, and this year is no exception. We extend our congratulations to all of this year's nominees and eagerly await the announcement of the winning work later this month,' she said.
Ned O'Sullivan, Chairperson of the Board of Listowel Writers' Week, said the award is a valued part of our festival's celebration of Irish writing, and he thanked Kerry Group for their continued and generous support.
'Congratulations to the five shortlisted authors, your novels reflect the richness and diversity of contemporary Irish fiction, and we're proud to honour your work here in Listowel,' he said.
The winner will be announced on 28 May 2025, at the festival opening night event in the Listowel Arms Hotel. For more information and festival updates, visit
