Publishing house LeabhairCOMHAR had great reason to celebrate at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2024 as ‘Geansaithe Móra’ by Gearóidín Nic Cárthaigh was announced the winner of Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana at the. The ceremony took place, Wednesday the 27th of November in the Dublin Convention Centre.
The An Post Irish Book Awards is now in its 19th year and celebrates and promotes Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year the awards recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent.
“We congratulate Gearóidín on this wonderful achievement for this, her first book,’ said Jennifer Gorissen, Publishing Executive with LeabhairCOMHAR.
Gearóidín Nic Cárthaigh, the author of this year’s winning title in the Irish language category, is a writer of flash fiction, short stories and poems. Her work has been published in various magazines, but ‘Geansaithe Móra’ is her first collection.
Commenting on the win Gearóidín said, “No woman is an island, and I’d firstly like to thank Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge, Foras na Gaeilge, the judges, the people who voted online, the people of West Cork, and all of those who supported me along the way.
My publisher, LeabhairCOMHAR, were excellent from beginning to end: Jennifer Gorissen, Clare Coughlan and Deirdre Ní Fhloinn, as well as the meitheal who helped to publish the book.
It was a great honour for me to be on the shortlist along with the other authors – congratulations to them on their wonderful work.
It is great to see the flash-fiction genre gaining popularity, and I’m delighted with this award for the collection Geansaithe Móra.”
This collection comprises thirty-four flash fiction stories, all of them under 1,000 words. They look at a wide range of themes in women’s lives, from sadness to love, from loneliness to hope. This book is overflowing with empathetic characters, as they get a flash of new insight into life.
This year Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge, which is sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge had 6 Irish language fiction books shortlisted. Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge, Seán Ó Coinn said “Foras na Gaeilge is passionate about writing in Irish, and the quality and variety of writing in Irish continues to excel year on year across an increasing range of genres. Foras na Gaeilge is delighted to partner with An Post to highlight some of the best writing in Irish in 2024, and we extend a hearty congratulations to this year’s well-deserved winner of Gradam Love Leabhar Gaeilge”.
Love Leabhar Gaeilge promotes Irish language books throughout Ireland among readers, in bookshops, online and through resources and events for anyone interested in Irish language books.
