The Irish are known for their gift of gab, thanks to Ireland’s rich oral tradition. Luckily for us, that oral tradition eventually led to people writing their stories down. Notable Irish authors include James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats and more modern examples like Sally Rooney, Colum McCann, Emma Donoghue, and Anne Enright.
Ireland also boasts a wonderful literary scene with book festivals in Dublin and Belfast, the fabled Long Room at Trinity College Dublin (pictured below), the Museum of Literature Ireland, the C.S. Lewis Trail in Belfast, and so much more. It’s fitting us for us to make this country our next literary tourism stop—though, of course it was hard to narrow down the books!
Whether these titles call to mind memories of your own time in Ireland or you hope to travel there someday (raises hand), I hope this list will make you even more excited about your next trip or provide an accessible and affordable means of escape via armchair travel in the meantime.
To send you off on your literary adventure, I’m sharing seventeen books that I’ve read and loved or that are on my To Be Read list. There’s no way to include every book set in Ireland on this list. That’s where you come in: we’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments section!
Literary Tourism: Ireland
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Faithful Place
The third standalone book in the Dublin Murder Squad series follows detective Frank Mackey and the demons from his past. His dysfunctional family lived in a small flat on Faithful Place in Dublin's inner city but he yearned to get out and even planned to run away to London with his girlfriend Rosie, except she never showed the night they planned to leave. Frank assumed she changed her mind and left without him. But 22 years later, Rosie's suitcase is found hidden in their planned meeting spot. The cops don't trust Frank to be unbiased in his childhood neighborhood but the neighborhood doesn't trust cops, period—not even one of their former own, which leads Frank to take up his own unauthorized investigation. He never got over Rosie, and he'll do whatever it takes to uncover what happened. This is a sad, sad story, but it's such a good one. Please note that, as with all the Dublin Murder Squad books, this contains much profanity and violence. More info →
Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir
This alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking tale about McCourt's childhood won the Pulitzer Prize and landed at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. (Mary Karr cited it often as a stunning example in her book The Art of Memoir.) He was born in Depression-era Brooklyn to Irish immigrant parents, who returned to the slums in Limerick when he was 4 years old. His mother tried to care for the children despite having no money, as his alcoholic father rarely worked and drank his wages when he did. McCourt's brogue, humor, and gift of gab makes the story of poverty and near-starvation leap off the page. More info →
PS, I Love You
Ahern’s bestselling debut women’s fiction follows 30-year-old Holly after the death of her husband Gerry. Devastated, her life is at a standstill until she receives a package containing ten letters Gerry wrote before he died. Each message sends her on an adventure with the help of her friends and family, as she figures out how to live without him. The movie adaptation stars Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. More info →
Foster
This tender story is at once heartbreaking and life-affirming, and though it's a short story, it's lush, full, and packed with life. It begins on a hot summer day in rural Ireland, when an anxious child is taken by her father to live with a distant relative for a time, in order to ease the burden on her mother as she prepares to deliver another child. The story is just under a hundred pages but Keegan takes you on quite the journey: I read this with my heart in my throat, and found it to be a true testament to what a gifted writer can do in a small space. More info →
Circle of Friends
This historical fiction was my gateway to the beloved Irish author’s work. Childhood friends Benny and Eve grow up in tiny Knockglen, determined to head to Dublin one day. Upon arrival at University College, Dublin, they become inseparable with fellow students Nan and Jack. The freedom college offers has both benefits and costs, leaving none of them the same. Take note: the movie adaptation starring Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver changed the ending. Content warnings apply. More info →
This Must Be the Place
This is one of my all-time favorite books. Family stories are commonplace in fiction, but O'Farrell tells this one in interlocking scenes from different viewpoints, occurring between 1944 and 2016. It’s the story of an unlikely but successful marriage between a floundering American professor and a British film star who hated the limelight so much she faked her own death and disappeared. But then an unexpected bit of news, twenty years old but newly discovered, threatens to unravel the life the couple has built together in Ireland. I love this story for its intricate plotting, nuanced characters, true-to-life feel, and ultimate hopefulness. More info →
Normal People: A Novel
I didn't think Sally Rooney was for me. But because I recorded a What Should I Read Next episode with a guest who called Rooney her favorite author, I sampled this one—and then I didn't want to stop reading! I was captivated by Rooney's skill at portraying the quietly devastating interactions between Connell and Marianne, Irish teenagers who begin an on-again, off-again relationship (though they wouldn't call it that) in high school and whose paths continue to cross when they move on to university in Dublin. Her unusual style suits the story, and the acuity with which she probes friendship, trauma, and mental health is striking. More info →
Trinity (Trinity and Redemption #1)
I wish I could remember what led to the big Leon Uris kick I went on in high school! I loved this book then; I hear it holds up and would be curious to see for myself. This sweeping historical fiction epic examines three generations of a family living in 19th century Ireland. Their day-to-day lives are set against a backdrop of Catholic-Protestant hatred and violence, imperialist British rule, famine, love, and danger. More info →
The Guest List
This mystery puts a modern spin on Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None, setting a destination wedding on a remote Irish island, accessible only by boat, with guests whose lives are connected in ways they never could have guessed. When a magazine publisher weds a handsome reality tv star, she wants her wedding to be magazine-worthy: the designer gown, the atmospheric location, everything perfect to the last detail. But when the guests arrive, including old colleagues, boarding school friends, unreliable family, and untrustworthy friends—things begin going wrong, as long-buried secrets threaten to burst forth at exactly the wrong time. And then they find the dead body. Told in rotating points of view, this was cleverer than I'd expected, and I especially enjoyed the audio version I listened to. (The accents!) I would have appreciated a content warning for self-harm; a murder mystery is certain to have triggers but that one took me by surprise. More info →
A Ghost in the Throat
"This is a female text." These beginning words are repeated, over and over, throughout. This book is unlike anything I've ever read: part memoir, part meditation on the female creative process, part biography of a long-dead Irish poet, plus a translation of the poet's best-known work. If you're stirred by the offer of gaining a glimpse inside the mind of a modern Irish poet grappling with her brilliant predecessors, read this immediately—and strongly consider listening to Siobhán McSweeney's pitch-perfect narration. This went straight on my Best of the Year list, and I've been recommending it non-stop ever since. More info →
Lark Ascending
This dystopian novel with echoes of The Dog Stars and The Road is set in the not-too-distant future, where fires have ravaged the globe and religious extremists have seized control of governments. Lark, a teenage refugee, fled Maine with his family hoping to find sanctuary in Ireland, the last country rumored to be accepting refugees—only to discover upon arrival that the borders have closed and his perilous journey has only just begun. Dejected, starving, and alone, he sets out for Glendalough, the "thin place" his mother told him about before she died. Along the way he befriends Seamus, a trustworthy beagle who somehow managed to survive even after dogs were eradicated, and encounters others who wish to both help and harm him. This is a departure for House; those who have enjoyed his past work may especially appreciate the wistful prose and LGBTQ love story. More info →
Four Letters of Love: A Novel
While this 1997 debut novel from the Dublin-born Williams isn't terribly old, it feels decidedly old-fashioned. The story unspools slowly; the plot is anchored by four life-changing letters written decades apart. First we meet 12-year-old Nicholas Coughlan, whose father announces he's received a calling from God to quit his job and become a painter, with tragic and unforeseen consequences. In another part of Ireland, young Isabel Gore is a poet's daughter, whose life is upended when her beloved and talented brother suffers a terrible seizure that makes his planned future impossible. We know the two are destined to connect, and Williams methodically (perhaps miraculously?) weaves their paths together. One of my favorite books of 2021 was Shirley Hazzard's The Transit of Venus; the tone of Williams's story reminded me very much of Hazzard's. More info →
The Rachel Incident
This reads like a warmer, wittier Sally Rooney, perfect for fans of introspective first-person literary fiction. Rachel is living in London, happily married and pregnant, when she hears the news that one of her long-ago college professors is in a coma. This discovery prompts her to recall a pivotal year in her early twenties, when she lived in Cork, Ireland and met her best friend James while working at a bookstore. Their lives soon became enmeshed with those of the professor and his wife. A provocative novel with an enticing plot that thoughtfully interrogates themes of power, class, art, and the queer experience. I’ve been recommending this book nonstop ever since I first read it. More info →
The Bee Sting
The publisher's descriptions of this Booker-shortlisted book are quite misleading, as they made the book sound considerably warmer than I found it to be. (And "funny," what?) Instead expect a multi-generational family saga about the unrelenting and unending troubles and ultimate demise of the ill-fated Barnes family. I listened to the full cast audiobook narration, and while audio isn’t my best reading format for discerning style and structure, it’s still easy to see that character development, structure, and symbolism are brilliantly done. If you can believe it, the book's 700 pages felt like a page-turner closer to half that long, all the way up to the jaw-dropping ending. This is a book that would well reward a re-read, if you can bear it. Please note countless content warnings. More info →
Long Island
In this wistful literary standalone sequel set in the 1970s and 2024 Summer Reading Guide selection, Tóibín returns to his beloved character Eilis Lacey from his 2009 novel Brooklyn. Now in her forties with two teenage children, Irishwoman Eilis is still married to Tony, and still feels like an outsider amongst—and sometimes a prisoner in—his large Italian family. When a stranger appears at her door with a staggering revelation about her husband’s life and choices, Eilis finds herself at a crossroads in her life and marriage, and escapes from Long Island to her small Irish hometown after a decades-long absence to contemplate her future. The neighborhood dynamics are both utterly prosaic and heavy with meaning: this is the kind of book where a bit of gossip whispered by one neighbor to another makes you gasp aloud. More info →
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Investigative journalism at its finest, this examines the IRA’s abduction of Jean McConville, a mother of ten, from her Belfast home in 1972 during The Troubles. Her family never saw her again. A little more than thirty years later, human bones are found on a beach and later identified as McConville. The case serves as an example of the violence, fear, and paranoia during that time, as well as a jumping off point to explore the IRA’s goal for a united Ireland, the repercussions of guerrilla warfare, and whether their ends ever justified the means. A riveting and heartbreaking read, this was recently adapted into a TV miniseries on FX. More info →
The Henna Wars
An engaging sapphic YA novel about Nishat and Flávia, immigrant teen girls living in Dublin. After Flávia transfers to Nishat’s all-girls Catholic high school, they become rivals when they both start henna businesses. They both secretly have crushes on the other but neither is out, making it difficult to tell whether a spark is there. Nishat’s parents don’t handle her coming out as lesbian all that well, worried about what their Bengali relatives will think and believing you can't be Muslim and queer. Luckily, her sister Priti is on her side, helping her make sense of it all. This sweet love story delves into racism, homophobia, and the power of claiming one’s identity. More info →
Do you have any favorite books set in Ireland? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 65 recommended reads for those traveling to England, 12 recommended reads for those who dream of traveling to Scotland, and more literary tourism.
66 comments
It’s not often I have read almost all of the titles on one of your lists. I would add The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan and Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen. I know there are more but it’s early.
For folks who love Tana French, try “Kala” by Colin Walsh – a debut novel. I also recommend Roody Doyle’s short stories. “Life Without Children” is set during the COVID pandemic. Also, don’t forget the poetry of Seamus Heaney.
I totally concur about The Queen of Dirt Island and would add that anything by Donal Ryan would be great.
Amazingly, I’ve read most of these. But where are The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne and This Is Happiness by Niall Williams?
They’re right here! (And gosh it was tough to pick which Niall Williams to include.) Thanks for sharing them in comments. 🙂
I came here to say the same thing – surprised The Heart’s Invisible Furies did not make the list!
Irish writers are my favorite and my very favorite is Niall Williams. His descriptions of Ireland put you right there. His latest The Time of the Child returns to Faha which is featured in This is Happiness. He certainly belongs at the top of the list of Irish writers.
I recently read The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne and it shot alllll the way up to the top of my all time favorites list! It is an epic coming of age story of a gay man in Ireland and the terrible choices he is faced with throughout his life, and the family he finds along the way. It’s heartbreaking, heartwarming and hilarious. It’s long but like Demon Copperhead or Covenant of Water, you never want it to end. I adored it.
I’ve just finished reading “If Women Rose Rooted”, a non-fiction book connecting to many ancient Gaelic & Celtic stories, myths and traditions of Ireland (and Wales & Scotland)… truly a must read whether you are travelling to Ireland or not!
Someone mailed that book to me!
This sound interesting ! Can you give the name of the author?? Thanks!
Oh Anne!
Thank you for this list. Late last night my husband and I were daydreaming about our next adventure—we settled on Ireland. Imagine my serendipitous delight when I opened my email this morning and found your list! (I’ve read 4 and plan to read all of them.). Thanks again! 🍀
Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks is a ton of fun/ funny
This book was hilarious!
We have a trip planned to Ireland in April, and I am in need of something funny, thanks for this recommendation – I’ve just requested it from my local library.
Great list. I enthusiastically second Niall Williams! I just finished ‘Time of the Child’ and loved it. I also recommend Claire-Louise Bennett (‘Pond’ and ‘Checkout 19’) and Alan Murrin (‘Coast Road’).
Ireland by Frank McCourt (Also wrote Angela’s Ashes) is magical on audio book. The book is about a storyteller, and narrated by the author, it comes alive. If you want to learn more about the long history of Ireland, this is a must listen. ☘️
Love Frank McCourt and loved the audiobooks! ❤️☘️
I think Ireland is written by Frank Delaney.
I came to add Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies, What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon, as well as Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Freil event though its a play.
Happy People Read and Drink Coffee – Agnès Martin-Lugand.
I just borrowed this based on the name alone!
Wonderful selections. Would also add *The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes* and *Prophet Song by Paul Lynch*. Both might be a little close to home at the moment, but brilliant writing all the same.
I was glad to see Claire Keegan’s FOSTER on this list. She is such an excellent writer and another of her books I would recommend is SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE. It is another very short book, but so much is said in so little space.
Oh Charlynn, I absolutely love SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan! Such beautiful writing! I just ordered FOSTER!
Claudia, you will love FOSTER too!
Absolutely ‘Small Things…’ just out as a movie too (in UK at least). Everything by John Boyne (‘Heart’s Invisible Furies’) is excellent!! Has three of a quartet out (UK) Water, Earth, Fire – such a lot said in so few words- v short (where Hearts is v long.).
Roddy Doyle books from 1990s all great!
I have to add “But Come Ye Back”, by Beth Lordan. A couple, Lyle, an American accountant, and Mary, an Irish girl, marry and settle down in Cleveland to raise their family. But 34 years later, when the children are gone and Lyle is ready for retirement, Mary convinces him to move to Ireland, to the town of her birth. This is called “a novel in stories” and the quiet characterizations, along with the bewildering change for Lyle, are just brilliant! Not big on plot, but really profound and affecting! I gave it 5 stars and wondered why no one is talking about it.
Oh that sounds marvelous! We looked at moving there back in the 90’s but they often waited 18 months or more to get connected with telephone, I realized the culture shock would probably do us in – we were newly weds at the time. Just added it to my TBR
Lisa Carey’s “The Stolen Child” historical fiction 1960 evacuation of an isolated Irish island. Full of Irish Fairies and myths.
“Himself” by extraordinary (!)one of my favorite authors Jess Kidd. Dublin setting fun Irish mystery with ghosts and memorable characters!! “Northern Spy “ (read first) then the sequel “Trust Her” by Flynn Berry fantastic page turner IRA spy thriller with fab protagonist Tessa.
Add another Lisa Carey novel set in Ireland ! “The Mermaids Singing”.
Anne, you gotta go, you’ll love it! My husband and I went to Ireland in Fall 2023 and fell in love with everything about it, especially Galway and the west coast. He brought ‘We Don’t Know Ourselves’ by Fintan O’Toole to read on the trip and raved about it. It’s part memoir, part history of Ireland from the 1950s to present day. I’m actually listening to it right now and it’s giving me even more insight into what we saw on our trip and what I’ve learned about Ireland in other books. It’s long but very well written.
And I thought I was the only teenager to go on a Leon Uris binge! Ha, not sure what was going on with him in the early 90’s but I think I may have picked Trinity because it was one of the biggest books on my parents’ shelves.
I was happy to see lots of titles here I have read, and now see more I want to read, both in the post and comments!
I’m going to Prague soon…anyone have suggestions for that destination?
If you are on Instagram, check out Melissa and David on @strongsenseof—they are Americans, living in Prague. You can scroll thru their entries, they highlight different places all over the world, as well as recommend books about those places. Surely they have something on Prague. They also have a podcast, Strong Sense of Place.
Oops can’t find my original comment on Niall Williams but wanted to add another Irish writer, John Banville who also writes under the pen name Benjamin Black
Couple thoughts: 1. I would definitely choose audio for Say Nothing. who doesn’t like an Irish brogue. 2. I saw that Long Island was listed and I definitely concur that both this and Brooklyn are an excellent read. But I might suggest Norah Webster by Colm Toibin.
Nora Roberts writes beautiful stories set in Ireland! Two of my favorite series that take place there is the Irish Born Trilogy and The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy
Perfect timing – I was just crowdsourcing suggestions for Irish-set books as my friend and I are headed there in May. Can’t wait to dive into these!
I’m also heading there with a friend in May.
A few titles to contribute:
Brigid to Kildare by Heather Terrell (ancient historical fiction)
An Old Woman’s Reflections by Peig Sayers (memoir of a rural island community)
Irish Country Doctor series by Patrick Taylor (mostly set in Northern Ireland)
A Slip of a Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff (middle grade historical fiction)
I love Marian Keyes. She reminds me of Abbi Waxman, fun quirky characters you can roll your eyes at but equally love.
There is two fabulous author with at least Peter Tremayne Sister Fidelma has a strong reading group in the US, then there is one other about a Brehon during the 1600. These are my favourites
Back in the 90’s, I spent 3 weeks in Ireland my favorite place was the Ring of Kerry. There are islands off it’s coast called the Blaskets and there is a famous book about growing up there called Twenty Years a Growin’ by maurice sullivan. I would also like to add The Irish R. M. by Edith Somerville which made me laugh out loud. And if you can find it the exquisitely illuminated Book of Conquests by Jim FitzPatrick are a dazzling frame for store of the Golden Age myths. And one should never have a list of Irish books without including some Irish Poetry — I have 1000 years of Irish Poetry by Kathleen Hoagland.
Found Ghost in the Throat by accident, but I absolutely loved it!! Made me look to the long-dead poet and see what she was about. It was a good journey!
I just finished Derry Girls (for the second time) last night! I see ‘Say Nothing’ up there but are there any other books folks can recommend about The Troubles?
I thoroughly enjoyed the Flynn Berry novels referenced above and Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. The Troubles feature prominently in all of them.
If you’re reading Irish literature, you must read John McGahern! ‘By the Lake’ is one of my all-time favorites — a beautifully-written, character-driven walk through one year with a couple who lives in rural Ireland. McGahern captures the depth and beauty in the simplicity of the everyday. ‘Rainsongs’ by Sue Hubbard is another Irish read that I highly recommend!
I have loved Williams’ The History of Rain & Time of the Child. Hope to become a completist. Great list!
Niall Williams is fabulous. The audiobooks are especially beautiful – the Irish accent brings the story and people to life.
I am only 25% Irish, but I am very Irish in appearance and personality. When I went to Ireland with my mother, I felt like I’d found my people and never wanted to leave. That said, my favorite books by an Irish author about Ireland is the Irish Country Doctor series by Patrick Taylor.
Julia,
My roommate, back in the day, was 50% Irish, with the last name Sullivan, and she was short, white skinned and blue-eyed. She always said she had “Irish knees”. She went to Ireland in her 20s and came back saying, “I found my people! They all look like me! Even their knees!” She felt so much better about herself being with people who looked like her.
Dervla McTiernan has several mysteries set in Ireland
-Cormack Reilly Series: The Scholar, The Ruin, The Good Turn
-The Roommate, The Sisters
-Murder Rule is set in the US but a great read.
Liz Nugent: Lying in Wait
Jeannette Haien: The All of It
Jean Grainger is a wonderful Irish author. I have read several of her series and never want them to end.
Anything by Morgan Llewelyn.
This is so timely for me! We are traveling to Ireland in October-a dream of mine. I basically want to walk all over Dublin and channel Maeve Binchy. We will be doing a tour from Ennis to Dublin and am so excited! Thank you so much for all the great recommendations!
I like THE YELLOW HOUSE by Patricia Falvey, historical fiction set in Ireland.
A fun timeslip in Ireland I read this year– What the wind Knows by Amy Harmon..really good. Also for Historical fiction, The Gracelin O’Malley series by Ann Moore. it’s old, but delightful.
Anything Catherine Walsh! I didn’t think romantic comedies were for me until I read (listened to) Holiday Romance. Her books work for me because I find them to be funny, the relationships believable, and the settings and side characters just as enjoyable. Highly recommend to rom com skeptics out there!
Sad to see that “My Father Left Me Ireland” didn’t make this list. By Michael Brendan Daugherty, it is eloquent, poignant, heartbreaking, and inspiring. It’s my #2 most recommended book of all time. And it’s best in audio, read by the author.
Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen. Brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny exploration of the Troubles and their long shadow.
I loved exploring Dublin—the Trinity College library you pictured was my favorite part. More impressive than the Book of Kells exhibit.
I feel like Nora Roberts needs to be added to this list. Her more recent fantasy Dragon Hear Series. This series is different from her older series’ many of which are set in Ireland. I like Dragon Heart better than Fourth Wing.
The Star and Shamrock Series by Jean Grainger
I absolutely cannot stop recommending the audio version of “A Ghost in the Throat”. I still think about that book all the time. Phenomenal. Otherworldly.
I will read literally anything Tana French Writes. Same goes for Sally Rooney – genius.
Trinity. Such a staple of my high school history reading and the beginning of my quest to find my heritage (spoiler – 99.5% UK/I). Connor Larkin lives in my memory.
The Bee Sting… a disappointing ending after devoting 660 pages to that novel (and I desperately love both epic novels and Irish literature).
Ireland by Frank Delaney. Charming, wonderful.
The Dublin Saga (The Princes of Ireland and The Rebels of Ireland) by Edward Rutherfurd follows several families in Ireland from ancient “time before memory” to the early 1900s while exquisitely weaving in documented historical events that have shaped Ireland’s people, land, culture, and quest for independence.
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