You have probably heard it said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. True or not, let’s take this opportunity to look more closely at books about all things Irish. St. Patrick, as it turns out, was NOT Irish, but British. Credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day falls on what was thought to be the date of his death. Oh, and spoiler alert: there were no snakes in Ireland.
Northern Ireland was created in 1921, and the southern parts of the area, comprising 26 of the 32 counties, became the Irish Free State around the same time. This area is known politically as the Republic of Ireland, whereas Ireland refers to the island geographically. A good modern history of Ireland is We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland by Finton O’Toole (2021), whereas the classic How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill (1996) details Ireland’s role in the preservation of knowledge during the Dark Ages. Thinking about a trip to Ireland? There are many travel books available, including:
- Frommer’s Ireland (2025)
- Fodor’s Essential Ireland (2025)
- Rick Steves’ Ireland (2022)
For other aspects of Ireland’s history look to:
- The Rock from Which You Were Hewn: The Lives and Legacy of Holy Irish Men and Women edited by Dr. Patrick Kenny and Father John S. Hogan (2024)
- Plentiful Country: The Great Potato Famine and the Making of Irish New York by Tyler Anbinder (2024)
- One Man’s Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA by Daniel Finn (2019)
- Tasting Whiskey: An Insiders’ Guide to the Unique Pleasures of the World’s Finest Spirits by Lew Bryson (2014)
- Irish Fairy Tales and Folklore compiled by W. B. Yeats originally in the 1800s
- When You Are Old: Early Poems and Fairy Tales by W. B. Yeats (this ed. 2014)
- Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt (1996)
Ireland has produced many wonderful authors, including Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, and more recently, John Banville, Colm Tóibín and Tana French. To wind up our Irish tour, here are some novels about Ireland, by Irish authors:
- The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (2023) - A bookshop on a quiet street in Dublin changes the lives of three strangers.
- Maeve in America: Essays by a Girl from Somewhere Else by Maeve Higgins (2018) - humorous essays on love, life and becoming an American.
- Milkman by Anna Burns (2018) - psychological fiction set during The Troubles in the 1970s.
- A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy (2012) - Binchy’s last book details everyday life in a small Irish town.
- The Sea by John Branville (2006) - a lyrical meditation on grief, childhood and memory.
- The Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle (1995) - a group of young Irish musicians struggle to bring soul music to Dublin. Basis of the movie The Commitments.
New at the Library
Fiction
- Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz
- Penitence: A Novel by Kristin Koval
- Grave Empire by Richard Swan
Nonfiction
- Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity and Finding your Life’s Purpose by Martha Beck
- Fewer Rules, Better People: The Case for Discretion by Barry Lam
- Fat Loss Habits by Ben Carpenter
Children
- Remember by Dac Trung Tran
- Ultimate Science Cookbook for Kids: 75+ Edible Experiments by Highlights for Children, Inc.
- The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie by Radhika Sanghani
