Select Page
still from the Bookshop of the Year VT at Little Acorns bookshop in Derry
Donal Ryan speaking on set while filming the Irish Book of the Year show for Another Avenue and RTE
still from interview with Rob Kearney for Johnny Sexton

The An Post Irish Book Awards has established itself over the years as the most prestigious event in the Irish literary calendar. Authors who have won the coveted awards over the years have seen major increases in sales. Lesser known authors have become household names and established writers have cemented their names as some of the nations favourite artists.

Another Avenue has been involved with the production of the An Post Irish Book Awards for many years, both facilitating the AV output at the live event and creating the television show. A mainstay in the schedule, the show has always achieved high viewer numbers and acclaim.

In recent years the winners of the various awards have qualified to be considered for the Irish Book of the Year Award. An esteemed panel of literary experts, writers and academics whittle all the winners down to six books and authors and this six becomes the shortlist.

Oliver Callan hosting the Irish Book of the Year 2024

For the first time this year Another Avenue produced the Irish Book of the Year for television. The show was a live panel show hosted by Oliver Callen and the six shortlisted books were as follows:

Johnny Sexton for Obsessed: The Autobiography 

Donal Ryan for Heart, Be at Peace

Sean Ronayne for Nature Boy: A journey of birdsong and belonging

Jane Casey for A Stranger in the Family 

Graham Norton for Frankie

Eilish Fisher for Fia and the Last Snow Deer

Joseph O'Connor interview about friend and colleague Donal Ryan
Still from Brendan O'Connor segment at Shelleybanks
Still of Pauline McLynn reading Graham Norton's Book Frankie

For each of the authors we produced a high quality VT, filming with people from their lives and expanding on their literary backgrounds. These VT’s served as the backbone to the studio show and the authors themselves were shown them as a surprise on the day of filming. This led to some genuine moments of joy, laughter and disbelief as the authors heard from people in their lives and what they thought of their work. For example, when we made the VT for Graham Norton, we filmed with his childhood english teacher and esteemed academic Niall MacMonagle, his friend and often interview subject David Walliams and his Father Ted colleague and fellow author Pauline McLynn.

still of the wide shot from the RDS at the shooting of the Irish Book of the Year

For the studio section of the show, we built a set in the Library Room of the RDS and invited a live studio audience. As a departure from previous shows, we sat all of the nominees together so that they could have an organic conversation about the books and the process of writing. The atmosphere was great throughout filming with each of the authors showing an obvious professional respect for each other and revelling in the opportunity to celebrate each others work.

The winner this year was announced as Donal Ryan for Heart, Be at Peace which the panel agreed was an incredible piece of work from one of Irelands most enduring literary talents. The show aired to much praise and very favourable ratings on RTE, we at Another Avenue look forward to making it bigger and better in 2025.

Donal Ryan with his Award for Irish Book of the Year 2024