Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award Explained

The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award is an annual award for Irish authors of fiction, established in 1995. It was previously known as the Kerry Ingredients Book of the Year Award (1995–2000),^[1] the Kerry Ingredients Irish Fiction Award (2001–2002), and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (2003-2011).

The winner of the prize is announced in May/June each year at the opening ceremony of the Listowel Writers' Week in County Kerry.^[2]

The prize is sponsored by the food group Kerry Group, and is the largest (currently €20,000)^[3] monetary prize for fiction available solely to Irish authors.^[4]

Winners and shortlists

Blue Ribbon = winner

• 1995 Philip Casey – The Fabulists (The Lilliput Press)
• 1996 Emer Martin – Breakfast in Babylon (Wolfhound Press)
• 1997 Deirdre Madden – One by One in the Darkness (Faber and Faber)^[5]
• 1998 John Banville – The Untouchable (Picador)^[6]
• 1999 J. M. O'Neill – Bennett & Company (Mount Eagle Publications)^[7]
• 2000 Michael Collins – The Keepers of Truth (Orion Books)^[8]
• 2001 Anne Barnett – The Largest Baby in Ireland After the Famine (Virago)^[9]
• 2002 John McGahern – That They May Face the Rising Sun (Faber and Faber)^[10]
• 2003 William Trevor – The Story of Lucy Gault (Viking)^[11]
• 2004 Gerard Donovan – Schopenhauer's Telescope (Scribner)
• 2005 Neil Jordan – Shade (John Murray)
• 2006 Sebastian Barry – A Long Long Way (Viking)
• 2007 Roddy Doyle – Paula Spencer (Jonathan Cape)
• 2008 Anne Enright – The Gathering (Jonathan Cape)^[12]
• 2009 Joseph O'Neill – Netherland (Harper Perennial)^[13]
• 2010 John Banville – The Infinities (Picador)^[14]
• 2011 Neil Jordan – Mistaken (John Murray)
• 2012 Shortlist^[15]
  • Christine Dwyer Hickey – The Cold Eye of Heaven (Atlantic Books)^[16]
  • Kevin Barry - City Of Bohane
  • Anne Enright - The Forgotten Waltz
  • Carlo Gébler - The Dead Eight
  • Belinda McKeon - Solace
• 2013 Shortlist^[17]
  • Gavin Corbett – This Is the Way (4th Estate)^[18]
  • Lucy Caldwell - All The Beggars Riding
  • Claire Kilroy - The Devil I Know
  • Kathleen MacMahon - This Is How It Ends
  • Thomas O'Malley - This Magnificent Desolation
• 2014 Shortlist^[19]
  • Eimear McBride – A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing (Galley Beggar Press)^[20]
  • Deirdre Madden - Time Present & Time Past
  • Colum McCann - Transatlantic
  • Frank McGuinness - Arimathea
  • Donal Ryan - The Thing About December
• 2015 Shortlist^[21]
  • Eoin McNamee – Blue Is the Night (Faber and Faber)^[22]
  • David Butler - City Of Dis
  • Nuala Ní Chonchúir - The Closet Of Savage Mementos
  • Patrick O'Keeffe - The Visitors
  • Eibhear Walshe - The Diary Of Mary Travers
• 2016 Shortlist^[23]
  • Anne Enright – The Green Road (Jonathan Cape)^[24]
  • John Banville - The Blue Guitar
  • Kevin Barry - Beatlebone
  • Austin Duffy - This Living And Immortal Thing
  • Edna O'Brien - The Little Red Chairs
• 2017 Shortlist^[25]
  • Kit de Waal – My Name is Leon (Viking)^[26]
  • Emma Donahue - The Wonder
  • Neil Hegarty - Inch Levels
  • Mike McCormack - Solar Bones
  • Conor O'Callaghan - Nothing On Earth
• 2018 Shortlist^[27]
  • Paul Lynch – Grace (Oneworld)^[28]
  • Lisa Harding - Harvesting
  • Frank McGuiness - The Woodcutter And His Family
  • Bernard McLaverty - Midwinter Break
  • Sally Rooney - Conversations With Friends
• 2019 Shortlist^[29]
  • David Park – Travelling in a Strange Land (Bloomsbury)^[30]
  • John Boyne - Ladder To The Sky
  • Jess Kidd - The Hoarder
  • Emer Martin - The Cruelty Men
  • Sally Rooney - Normal People
• 2020 Shortlist^[31]
  • Edna O'Brien – Girl (Faber and Faber)^[32]
  • Kevin Barry - Nightboat To Tangier
  • Mary Costello - The River Capture
  • Ronan Hession - Leonard And Hungry Paul
  • Joseph O'Connor - Shadowplay
• 2021 Shortlist^[33]
  • Anakana Schofield – Bina (Fleet)^[34]
  • Niamh Campbell - This Happy
  • Laura McKenna - Words To Shape My Name
  • Adrian Duncan - A Sabbatical In Leipzig
  • Rob Doyle - Threshold
• 2022 Shortlist^[35]
  • Claire Keegan – Small Things Like These (Grove Press)
  • Jan Carson - The Raptures
  • Lisa Harding - Bright Burning Things
  • Nuala O'Connor - Nora
  • Kevin Power - White City

External links

Listowel Writers' Week

Notes and References

1. Web site: AwardWeb: Kerry Ingredients Book of the Year Award . Laurie Mann . AwardWeb . 23 September 2011.
2. Web site: Official Opening of the 40th Anniversary Festival . Listowel Writers' Week . 23 September 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110808230028/http://writersweek.ie/programme/official-opening-of-the-40th-anniversary-festival . 8 August 2011 .
3. Web site: Doyle. Martin. 6 January 2022. Kate O’Brien Award shortlist revealed; Kerry Group raises Irish novel prize to €20,000. 14 October 2022. Irish Times.
4. News: Neil Jordan wins major literary award for second time . Cían Nihill . . 23 September 2011 . 2 June 2011.
5. Web site: Painting with words: Irish author Deirdre Madden can think of no occupation that she would like better. . . 23 September 2011.
6. News: A thumping good read . John Boland . . 25 June 2012 . 23 May 1998.
7. News: A late award . . 23 September 2011 . 6 June 1999.
8. News: Writers' festival opens . . 23 September 2011 . 6 June 2000.
9. News: Newcomer wins Irish fiction award . . 23 September 2011 . 5 May 2001.
10. News: McGahern wins Irish Fiction Award . . 23 September 2011 . 5 May 2002.
11. News: William Trevor wins Listowel fiction award . . 23 September 2011 . 5 May 2003.
12. Web site: Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award – Literary Competitions – 39th Listowel Writers' Week 2009 . Listowel Writers' Week . 23 September 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120323141803/http://www.writersweek.ie/2009/competitions_award.htm . 23 March 2012 .
13. Web site: Joseph O'Neill's Netherland wins Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award 2009 . Normans Media Ltd. . 23 September 2011.
14. Web site: John Banville Wins Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award 2010 at Listowel Writers' Week . Irish Publishing News . 23 September 2011.
15. Web site: 11 April 2012. Shortlist announced for Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year. 26 July 2021.
16. News: President opens Listowel literary week . Ann Lucey . . 14 July 2012 . 31 May 2012.
17. Web site: 18 April 2013. Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award 2013 – Shortlist Announced. 6 July 2021.
18. News: Corbett wins Irish Novel of the Year award at Listowel . Ann Lucey . . 13 June 2013 . 30 May 2013.
19. Web site: 21 March 2014. We Announce Our Five Shortlisted Titles For The Kerry Group Irish Novel Of The Year Award. 28 June 2021.
20. News: Eimear McBride wins €15,000 Kerry Group Irish novel of the year award . Martin Doyle . . 29 May 2014 . 28 May 2014.
21. Web site: 28 May 2015. Highlights of Listowel Writers’ Week Opening Night 2015. 25 June 2021.
22. News: Eoin McNamee's Blue is the Night wins €15,000 Kerry Group Irish Novel of Year Award . Martin Doyle . . 2 June 2015 . 27 May 2015.
23. Web site: 8 April 2016. Shortlist for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Announced. 11 June 2021. Dublin City Libraries.
24. News: Anne Enright's The Green Road wins Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award . Martin Doyle . . 20 June 2016 . 2 June 2016.
25. Web site: 21 March 2017. Big names and three debuts on Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award shortlist. 5 June 2021. Irish Times.
26. News: My Name is Leon wins Irish Novel of the Year Award . Martin Doyle . . 15 August 2017 . 1 June 2017.
27. Web site: 23 March 2018. Bernard MacLaverty and Sally Rooney on shortlist for Irish Novel of the Year. 5 June 2021. Irish Times.
28. News: 'Grace' by Paul Lynch wins Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award . Martin Doyle . . 17 September 2018 . 30 May 2018.
29. Web site: Novel of the Year shortlist revealed. 5 June 2021. Irish Times.
30. News: Travelling in a Strange Land by David Park wins award at Listowel Writers' Week . Martin Doyle . . 7 August 2019 . 29 May 2019.
31. Web site: 7 May 2020. Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year shortlist revealed. 1 June 2021. Irish Times.
32. News: Martin Doyle. 27 May 2020. Edna O'Brien wins Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award for Girl. The Irish Times. 24 September 2020.
33. Web site: Doyle. Martin. 8 April 2021. Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2021: Two first-time novelists on shortlist. 14 October 2022. Irish Times.
34. Web site: Doyle. Martin. 2 June 2021. Anakana Schofield wins Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award for Bina. 14 October 2022. Irish Times.
35. Web site: Doyle. Martin. 2 June 2022. Claire Keegan and Martina Evans win Listowel Writers Week novel and poetry prizes. 14 October 2022. Irish Times.