April has been another great month in the world of Irish writing – here is a round-up of some of the stories that made the news in the last few weeks.

• The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction was announced this week and I was delighted to see Louise Kennedy make the cut for her great novel Trespasses. Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait has also made the list, although I’m not sure if we can still claim her as Irish!

• Michelle Gallen was laughing all the way to the podium as she was won the Published Novel category at the Comedy Women in Print Awards for Factory Girls, beating out favourite Lessons in Chemistry. Sharon Horgan also won on the night, taking home the Witty Impact Award.

• April saw a series of events across Northern Ireland to acknowledge 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and the Irish Times brought together leading NI writers like Jan Carson and Michael Longley to reflect on the anniversary.

• This month also marked the four year anniversary of the murder of journalist and writer Lyra McKee. Channel Four screened a documentary about her short life and her partner Sara Canning wrote an incredibly moving piece in the Irish Times about Lyra’s legacy.

• Seán Hewitt’s memoir All Down Darkness Wide has made the longlist for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize. Awarded to an outstanding work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place, the prize is an annual award of £10,000.

• Catherine Ryan Howard’s lockdown-set crime novel 56 Days has been snapped up by Amazon to be adapted for television. The thriller focuses on a couple, who move in together at the start of lockdown following a brief courtship, only to find that they are each harbouring dangerous secrets.

• Irish literary journal the Stinging Fly got recognition on the world stage this month with a great feature in the New York Times, looking at how a journal with a subscription list of just a thousand has launched the careers of so many up and coming Irish authors,

• Sara Baume made the Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists List, despite, well, being Irish and living in Ireland, because she was born in the UK!

• Speaking of big prize wins, Darran Anderson has won the Windham-Campbell Prize for his memoir Inventory netting him a whopping $175,000!

• New work from Donal Ryan is always a treat, and this month he published a new short story – The Spoiling of the Hunt – which is available to read on the Independent website.

• It was announced this month that Kevin Barry will publish a new novel in 2024! The Heart in Winter will be his first novel since 2019’s Night Boat to Tangier.

Irish Literature darran anderson donal ryan irish literature kevin barry louise kennedy michelle gallen sara baume