Irish Publishing News travelled to Earl’s Court in London for the first day of the London Book Fair on Monday. The trip was enjoyable and the fair itself pretty packed, a relief I imagine for the Fair after last year’s poor Ash Cloud impacted attendances.

EoinPurcell@LBF2011

The Irish at the fair seemed busy with representatives from a large number of Publishing Ireland’s members in attendance, notably Maverick House, Mercier Press, O’Brien Press, Blackhall Publishing, Little Island, Liberties Press, The Stinging Fly and Adam’s Cloud.

Ernie O’Malley’s classic War Of Independence and Civil War titles, Raids & Rallies, On Another Man’s Wound and The Singing Flame will all be re-jacketed and reissued by Mercier Press by 2012.

The company will also re-jacket Dan Breen’s My Fight For Irish Freedom and Tom Barry’s Guerrilla Days In Ireland over the same period.

The books formed a central part of TG4′s recent documentary series about the War Of Independence, Bóthar na Saoirse, made by independent production company Blackrock Pictures.

The titles were acquired by Mercier Press when they took over the majority of Anvil Book’s publishing list in 2009.

The changes suggest the beginning of the end of the iconic imprint as the re-jacketed Ernie O’Malley titles will have Mercier Press ISBNs rather than Anvil ones.

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When it comes to such a broad category the list of potential inclusions grows pretty radically. However, sense and time suggest we limit the number of titles selected and so, within reason I’ve done so.

First, a seasonal selection beginning with Bob Burke‘s The Ho Ho Ho Mystery (Harry Pigg, book 2), a riot of a read feature Santa Claus and a variety of well-known characters in new and interesting situations. A great way to get in the spirit.

In picture book terms I’m inclined to agree with the Irish Book Awards voters and suggest that Niamh Sharkey’s On the Road with Mavis and Marge is a lovely book for kids. For reading aloud and even slightly older though the beautiful illustrations by Sara Baker and the wonderful stories by Patricia Lynch in Mercier’s Tales Of Irish Enchantment are hard to beat.

One of the problems with children’s book round ups is that they often become mere bandwagoning excercise, however, The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers and published by HarperCollins deserves a mention in the younger category.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil by Derek Landy from HarperCollins couldn’t but get a mention this year when the author won Book Of The Decade and a Irish Book Award. Garret Carr is back with the sequel to his wonderful The Badness of Ballydog, Lost Dogs and it’s well worth a read both published by Simon & Schuster Childrens with a third on the way.

Little Island, the now stand alone imprint has a number of fine books out this year, but by far my favourite is Tom O’Neill’s, Old Friends:The Lost Tales of Fionn Mac Cumhaill .

Collins Press have a gripping historical Fiction for older children (and even young teens) in Age 14 which was first published in Belgium but deals with the story of an Irish boy fighting in World War One.

Also for an older audience is Dermot Poyntz’ Curse Of Cromwell: The Siege (available here) a retelling of the siege of Clonmel in graphic novel. It’s as good a read for adults, but a really engaging way to read about history for older children and young adults.

Finally, the final part of Celine Kiernan’s Moorehawk trilogy, The Rebel Prince, is out from O’Brien Press and brings what has been a great series, a huge success for all involved.

Recent IES Irish Published Book Of The Year Winner at the Irish Book Awards, Donal Skehan appeared on Sunshine 106.8FM this week speaking with Sean Ashmore who was sitting in for Lynsey Dolan from Dublin’s Talking, the interview is below:

Donal Skehan on Sunshine 106.8FM

You can buy Donal’s first book here and pre-order his forthcoming title here

Publishers Description
A stunningly illustrated collection of delicious and easy mood-boosting recipes.

If you could improve your mood, sleeping patterns, energy levels, and mental state tomorrow, in one quick and simple step, you would, right? Eating the right foods can do that and more for you. Keeping an open mind and a positive approach to what you eat is one of the most important steps when it comes to improving your health.

The Good Mood Food approach to cooking is by no means rocket science, but it is straightforward and full of health benefits. With delicious recipes for Gazpacho Salad, Sesame Chicken Satay Skewers, Real Baked Beans with Focaccia, Apple and Oatmeal Muffins, Ginger Lemon and Honey Tea, Baked Dill and Garlic Salmon, Baked Pears with Spiced Honey and Peanut Butter Cookies among others Good Mood Food is a healthy delight!

An emotional Emma Donoghue spoke of the importance of recognition by her homeland as she accepted the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel Of The Year Award at Thursday evening’s ‘Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in the Round Room Of the Mansion House.

It was a theme echoed by many of the winners, including Maeve Binchy who was awarded with a lifetime achievement award by the guest of Honour for the evening, President Mary McAleese.

Perhaps the least surprising winner of the evening was Late Last show host, Ryan Tubridy who won the Newcomer Of The Year Award.

Donal Óg Cusack won the John Murray Listeners’ Choice Award, Donal Skehan won the IES Irish Published Book Of The Year, Neil Richardson won the Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book Of The Year, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly the Easons Popular Fiction Book Of The Year, Gene Kerrigan won the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book Of The Year,  Niamh Sharkey took the Junior category of the DAA Irish Children’s Book Of The Year while Derek Landy took the senior category as well as accepting his Book of the Decade award.

Tom Owens, Trading Director Eason and Chairman of the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, said, ‘The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards allow us the opportunity to celebrate and honour Ireland’s best literary talent. This year’s winning authors illustrate the diversity and vibrancy of the Irish book world, and each book is an outstanding literary achievement in its own right. As a country, we should be incredibly proud of these authors and the wealth of home-grown talent we have on offer.’

The full list of winners
The Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year: Room by Emma Donoghue (Picador)
RTÉ Radio 1′s The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award: Come What May by Donal Og Cusack (Penguin Ireland)
The Ireland AM Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year: Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan (Vintage)
The Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book of the Year: A Coward If I Return A Hero If I Fall by Neil Richardson (O’Brien Press)
Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year: The Oh My God Delusion by Ross O’Carroll Kelly (Penguin Ireland)
Energise Sport Irish Sports Book of the Year: A Football Man by John Giles (Hachette Books Ireland)
Irish Newcomer of the Year: JFK in Ireland: Four Days that Changed a President by Ryan Tubridy (Collins)
International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year: Good Mood Food by Donal Skehan (Mercier)
The Dublin Airport Authority Irish Children’s Book of the Year:
Junior - On the Road with Mavis and Marge by Niamh Sharkey (Walker Books)
Senior – Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil by Derek Landy (Harper Collins Children’s Books)

Irish readers can win one of ten €100 One-4-All vouchers simply by buying a copy of one of 25 specially selected titles and emailing it to Publishing Ireland. The competition is part of the Irish book publishers associations new Christmas promotion, Great Irish Books.

Publishing Ireland has selected 25 titles that cover everything from Irish language books, Irish history, fiction and children’s books. The goal according to the association is to champion ‘Irish-published books, Irish publishers, and Irish bookshops’ with the aim of ‘making book-buyers think about what they are buying.’

Jean Harrington, president of Publishing Ireland said, ‘Irish publishers provide great Irish books; the quality and variety are second to none. This campaign celebrates and promotes books, and we would ask people to look out for some truly great Irish books when they are considering purchasing a book this Christmas.’

Con Collins, publisher at The Collins Press, who has three titles in the group of the 25 selected titles said, ‘This promotion highlights the best of what Irish publishers are producing and emphasises the importance of supporting Irish companies and writers and staying positive in difficult times. The Great Irish Books campaign is good for everyone: publishers, authors and readers.’

As part of the campaign, Publishing Ireland has set up a website, a Facebook page, a twitter account and is running ads in The Irish Times today to back the campaign.
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The Complete List
Gluaiseacht
Gabháil Syrinx
Where Are You Really From?
Yeats and Sligo
An Irish Country Christmas
Agus Rud Eile De And Another Thing
Máirtín Ó Direáin Na Dánta
Sceon na Mara
Great Endeavour: Ireland’s Antarctic Explorers
Abandoned Mansions of Ireland
Ireland’s Animals: Myths, Legends and Folklore
Cliúsaíocht í nGaeilge – Making Out in Irish
1916 Seachtar na Cásca
1972 And The Ulster Troubles
Strangest Genius – The Stained Glass Of Harry Clarke
An tEagrán Gaeilge/The Irish Issue
The Gathering of Souls
Leading Lights – The People Who’ve Inspired Me
Capital Sins
Renegades – Irish Republican Women 1900-1922
2016 – A New Proclamation for a New Generation
The Rebel Prince – The Moorehawke Trilogy: Book 3
A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall – Stories of Irishmen in World War I
Lansdowne Road – The Stadium; the Matches; the Greatest Days
Sharp Sticks Driven Nails – Anthology of Short Stories

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Download a PDF of this preview.

Perhaps not the most thrilling of titles in the mix this year, Gay Mitchell’s By Dáil Account: Auditing of Government, Past, Present and Future, published by the IPA, is a book worth reading in-depth, contemplating and hoping that some of the author’s recommendations are adopted.

Likewise John McGuinness And Naoise Nunn’s book, The House Always Wins: Time To Turn The Tables offers a scathing analysis from the inside of Leinster House and some possible remedies for the situation we find ourselves in.

Enough Is Enough by Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole and published by Faber & Faber is sure to garner both praise and attention and joins the growing ranks of books declaring the Irish State pretty much broken and in need of reform.

In the same vein, an already released, but not to be ignored title is 2016 A New Proclamation For A New Generation by Gerard O’Neill and published by Mercier Press. Gerard, an economist who writes the excellent Turbulence Ahead blog is also a director of Amárach Research.

Just in case you’ve not quite had your fill of builders, bankers and developers, Simon Kelly’s Breakfast with Anglo from Penguin Ireland is on the shelves now and offers an inside account of how things became so crazy in the development business.

Four Courts Press bring something beyond the financial crisis and look to nature for their Deluge: Ireland’s weather disasters, 2009-2010 by Kieran Hickey which examines the extreme Irish weather of winter 2009-2010.

Finally, a big annual seller in Ireland is The Irish Times Book of the Year 2010, edited by Peter Murtagh and published by Gill & Mcmillan and 2010 is unlikely to be any different.

The Books

By Dáil Account: Auditing of Government, Past, Present and Future | Gay Mitchell
HB | €25.00 | IPA | 9781904541905
The House Always Wins: Time To Turn The Tables |
PB | €16.99 | Gill & Macmillan | 9780717147892
Enough Is Enough | Fintan O’Toole
PB | €14.99 | Faber & Faber | 9780571270088
2016 A New Proclamation For A New Generation | Gerard O’Neill
HB | €14.99 | Mercier Press | 9781856356909
Breakfast with Anglo | Simon Kelly
PB | €16.99 | Penguin Ireland | 9781844882502
Deluge: Ireland’s weather disasters, 2009-2010 | Kieran Hickey
PB | €14.95 | Four Courts Press | 9781846822711
The Irish Times Book of the Year 2010 | Edited by Peter Murtagh
HB | €26.99 | Gill & Mcmillan | 9780717147885

The shortlist for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards was announced this evening at an event in the Royal College Of Physicians on Kildare Street.

Among those nominated are, Ryan Tubridy, Joseph O’Connor, Roddy Doyle, Colm Toibin, Colum McCann, Paul Murrary and Booker shortlisted, Emma Donoghue.

Tom Owens, Trading Director, Eason and Chairman of the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, said, ‘The new look Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards is a welcome leap forward for the Irish book sector. These industry-wide awards allow us to showcase the rich and diverse selection of Irish writing available and we are proud to say that 2010 has produced a fine selection of books that would rival any on the world stage. In these difficult times, nothing represents value for money better than a book and it is important to use these awards as a platform to celebrate our Irish authors and recognise their talent.’

Public Voting
From today, the public are being asked to cast their vote on the best books of the last year via the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards website www.irishbookawards.ie and every person who votes will be in with a chance of winning one of five €100 National Book Token vouchers.

To help readers a free Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2010 magazine will be available in book retailers throughout the country. Votes can be cast until midnight November 21st 2010.

Publishing Companies
With some eleven nominations between their Irish and UK imprints, Penguin leads the shortlists, with Hachette scoring an impressive eight nominations though with two nominations for Orion titles, the wider Hachette group actually comes quite close to equalling Penguin.

Irish publishers have not been ignored either with titles by O’Brien, Mercier, Liberties, Gill & Macmillan, Brandon and The History Press, Ireland all included.

Self-Publisher, Benji Bennet is also nominated for his Adam’s Pirate Treasure.

Lifetime Achievement Award
The winners will be announced at an awards dinner which takes place in The Mansion House on November 25th 2010. As part of the ceremony, novelist Maeve Binchy will also be presented with a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award in Irish Literature’. Former recipients of this accolade include Edna O’Brien, William Trevor and John McGahern.

The full list of categories and nominees is below:

Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year
Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann, Bloomsbury
Brooklyn, Colm Toibin, Viking
Skippy Dies, Paul Murray, Hamish Hamilton
Ghost Light, Joseph O’Connor, Harvill Secker
The Dead Republic, Roddy Doyle, Cape
Room, Emma Donoghue, Pan Macmillan

Argosy Irish Nonfiction Book of the Year
Wasters, Shane Ross and Nick Webb, Penguin Ireland
Who Really Runs Ireland, Matt Cooper, Penguin Ireland
Ship of Fools, Fintan O’Toole, Faber
At Five in the Afternoon, Michael Murphy, Brandon
A Coward if I Return, A Hero if I Fall, Neil Richardson, O’Brien Press
JFK in Ireland: Four Days that Changed a President, Ryan Tubridy, Collins

Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year
City of Lost Girls, Declan Hughes, John Murray
Time of Death, Alex Barclay, Harper Collins
Faithful Place, Tana French, Hachette Books Ireland
The Missing, Jane Casey, Ebury
Dark Times in the City, Gene Kerrigan, Vintage
The Twelve, Stuart Neville , Vintage

Easons Popular Fiction Book of the Year
Stand By Me, Sheila O’Flanagan, Headline
Pieces of my Heart, Sinead Moriarty, Penguin Ireland
Hello, Heartbreak, Amy Huberman, Penguin Ireland
At Home with the Templetons, Monica McInerney, Pan Macmillan
The Oh My God Delusion, Ross O’Carroll Kelly, Penguin Ireland
Homecoming, Cathy Kelly, Harper Collins

Best Newcomer of the Year
The Twelve, Stuart Neville, Vintage
JFK in Ireland: Four Days that Changed a President, Ryan Tubridy, Collins
The Soldier’s Song, Alan Monaghan, Pan Macmillan
Not Untrue and Not Unkind, Ed O’Loughlin, Penguin Ireland
If I Never See You Again, Niamh O’Connor, Transworld
Hello, Heartbreak, Amy Huberman, Penguin Ireland

IES Best Irish-published Book of the Year
Strangest Genius; the Stained Glass of Harry Clarke, Lucy Costigan & Michael Cullen, History Press
Vanishing Ireland: Further Chronicles of a Disappearing World, Turtle Bunbury & James Fennell, Hachette Books Ireland
Good Mood Food, Donal Skehan, Mercier Press
From the Republic of Conscience Stories Inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Various, Liberties Press
Catherine’s Italian Kitchen, Catherine Fulvio, Gill & Macmillan
The Beaut.ie Guide to Gorgeous, Aisling McDermott , Gill & Macmillan

DAA Childrens Book of the Year
Junior
Adam’s Pirate Treasure, Benji Bennett, Adams Printing Press
The Heart and the Bottle, Oliver Jeffers, Harper Collins Children’s Books
On the Road with Mavis and Marge, Niamh Sharkey, Walker Books
Alfie Green and the Chocolate Cosmos, Joe O’Brien, O’Brien Press

Senior
Ask Amy Green: Bridesmaid Blitz, Sarah Webb, Walker Books
Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil, Derek Landy, Harper Collins Children’s Books
Timecatcher, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Orion
Noah Barleywater Runs Away, John Boyne, David Fickling

Energise Sport Irish Sports Book of the Year
A Football Man, John Giles, Hachette Books Ireland
Screaming at the Sky, Tony Griffin, Transworld Ireland
The Ecstasy and the Agony, Damien Tiernan, Hachette Books Ireland
Lansdowne Road – The Stadium, The Matches, The Greatest Days, Gerard Siggins & Malachy Clerkin, O’Brien Press
Come What May, Donal Og Cusack, Penguin Ireland
Ruby: The Autobiography, Ruby Walsh, Orion

The John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award
Freedom, Jonathan Franzen, Fourth Estate
The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas, Tuskar Rock
A Journey, Tony Blair, Hutchinson
At Five in the Afternoon, Michael Murphy, Brandon
The Book of Tomorrow, Cecelia Ahern, Harper Collins
Come What May, Donal Og Cusack, Penguin Ireland

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Download a free PDF version of this preview

The Best Of Irish History Titles For Christmas 2010

The sheer volume of Irish History titles that come on the market in any one year makes picking even a small number of them for this preview a difficult task. However some do stand out for a variety of reasons.

The one likely to get the most attention in the press is of course Ryan Tubridy’s, JFK In Ireland: Four Days That Changed A President. HarperCollins have staked quite a bit on their two book deal with Tubridy and he himself mentions the books on a fairly regular basis. What’s more JFK is popular still in Ireland and I’d expect the attention to be reflected in good sales.

Another candidate for high sales in Gill & Macmillan published, THE IRA – A Documentary History by Brian Hanley, a frankly gorgeously illustrated work that will appeal to both dedicated history buyers and a more gift orientated buyer. Much more controversial and definitely bound to attract column inches, is Gerard Murphy’s The Year of Disappearances: Political Killings in Cork, 1920-1921, also published by Gill & Macmillan.

O’Brien Press‘ A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall: Stories Of Irishmen In world War I, by Neil Richardson is a great book touching on territory that Irish society has slowly but surely been coming to terms with over the last few years. The powerful illustrations and the striking cover are likely to attract sales over the christmas.

Brandon will publish, Dissent Into Treason: Unitarians, King-killers And The Society Of United Irishmen, by Fergus Whelan in November. The book, while maybe not having the popular appeal of some others nonetheless deals with the fascinating origins of Irish Republicanism in the days of Cromwellian repression of Ireland.

Collins Press in Cork publish, Remember When: Pictures from the Irish Examiner Archive, which will no doubt sell exceptionally well in Cork, but also nationwide. Mercier Press‘ big Christmas title may well be Raymond O’Reagan’s Hidden Belfast: Benevolence, Blackguards and Balloon Heads which is part of their Hidden series, which now has three titles in print (Dublin and Cork being the other two).

The Books

JFK In Ireland: Four Days That Changed A President | Ryan Tubridy
HB | €24.99 | Collins | 9780007317592
THE IRA – A Documentary History | Brian Hanley
HB | €24.99 | Gill & Macmillan | 9780717148134
A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall: Stories Of Irishmen In world War I | Neil Richardson
PB | €19.99 | O’Brien Press | 9781847171313
Dissent Into Treason: Unitarians, King-killers And The Society Of United Irishmen | Fergus Whelan
PB | €19.99 | Brandon | 9780863224294
Remember When: Pictures from the Irish Examiner Archive
HB | €29.99 | Collins Press | 9781848890626
Hidden Belfast: Benevolence, Blackguards and Balloon Heads | Raymond O’Reagan
HB | €19.99 | Mercier Press | 9781856356831
The Cosgrave Party: A History of Cumann na nGaedheal | Ciara Meehan
HB | €30.00 | RIA | 9781904890652