Limerick-born author Kevin Barry, whose novel City of Bohane scooped the world’s most valuable literary prize, said the importance of the Impac award was that it kept books at the centre of life in Ireland.

An Irish novel is among the 10 shortlisted for the international IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

An Irish author has been shortlisted for the world’s richest literary prize.

Hurricane Rita ploughed into the Gulf of Mexico coast early today, lashing Texas and Louisiana with driving rain, flooding low-lying regions, knocking power out to nearly a million customers and sparking fires across the region.