Cork-based author Doireann Ní Ghríofa takes Irish Book of the Year award with prose debut
Poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa whose first book of prose, A Ghost in the Throat, has been named as the An Post Irish Book of the Year 2020. Picture: Clare Keogh
Doireann Ní Ghríofa's work, A Ghost in the Throat, has been announced as the An Post Irish Book of the Year 2020.
The Cork-based writer had previously been known for her poetry in both Irish and English, and this award marks a stunning success for what was her prose debut.
The prestigious award was announced tonight in a televised ceremony hosted by Miriam O'Callaghan, with the former UCC anatomy student nominated alongside 13 other category winners from the recent Irish Book Awards.
Born in Galway and raised in Co. Clare, the 39-year-old author finished ahead of the likes of Graham Norton, Louise O’Neill, and Donal Ryan. The winner was decided by a combination of public vote and an 'academy' of 200 booksellers, librarians, and other experts.
A Ghost in the Throat combines memoir with an exploration of Ní Ghríofa’s connection with the 18th-century Cork poet, Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, and with her famous poem, Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire.
Ní Ghríofa combines passages about the routines of domestic life – ironing, looking after her children, etc – with accounts of her growing obsession with her poetic predecessor.
“A Ghost in the Throat is a telling of my story, but it also tells the story of Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill,” said Ní Ghríofa, “and I'm so thankful to all the readers who have taken both of us into their hearts.
"I accept this award with deep gratitude to each and every one of you. Míle buíochas libh go léir."
The award also represented an incredible achievement for relatively small publisher Tramp Press, which has won the Irish Book of the Year three times in the past five years, previously with Notes to Self by Emilie Pine (2018), and Mike McCormack's Solar Bones (2016).
