FIVE Irish authors have been announced on the shortlist for the prestigious annual Kerry Group Novel of the Year award as it marks its 30th year.
First handed out in 1994, the award is one of the highlights of the annual Listowel Writers Week event held in Co. Kerry each summer.
For 2024 the five Irish authors who have made the shortlist have been recognised for the “artistic excellence” of their work.
They are Sebastian Barry for Old God’s Time, Naoise Dolan for The Happy Couple, Anne Enright for The Wren, The Wren, Darragh McKeon for Remembrance Sunday and Paul Murray for The Bee Sting.
Adjudicators for the award, the winner of which will be announced at the festival in June, are Kit de Waal and Paul McVeigh.
“In a year when Irish fiction has never been so strong, being asked to judge the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year was something of a poisoned chalice,” Ms de Waal said.
“It was nearly impossible to whittle down so many outstanding books to a shortlist of just five.
“It’s also been an immense privilege to be part of the award which is very dear to my heart as a previous winner,” she added.
Kerry Group has been a “proud” sponsor of Listowel Writer’s Week for 30 years, they said this week, during which time they have “witnessed a rich array of creativity, imagination, and passion from so many gifted authors”.
“As we eagerly await the announcement of the winner next month, I want to extend our warmest congratulations to this year’s shortlisted writers, whose submitted works embody the artistic excellence we are proud to support,” Catherine Keogh, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Kerry Group, said.
Listowel Writers Week is Ireland’s oldest literary and arts festival, with the first festival being held in the town in 1971.
Authors, poets, playwrights, and content creators flock to the festival each summer from around the world.
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals & Events at Failte Ireland, which also supports the event, said they were “pleased” to do so as such festivals and events “present an excellent opportunity to showcase the rich heritage and unique culture that Ireland has to offer”.
“They are also important drivers of tourism revenue across the country, particularly in areas that are outside of the traditional tourism hotspots,” Ms Sugrue added.
“Developing unique and immersive visitor experiences like Listowel Writers Week play a key role in motivating both international and domestic visitors to choose a destination, while helping drive the sustainable development of the tourism sector for the county and the wider region,” she explained.
The winner of the Kerry Group Novel of the year 2024 will receive a €20,000 prize.
Listowel Writer’s Week takes place from May 29 until June 2.