Irish Book Awards winners announced

Olympic boxing gold medallist Katie Taylor, John Banville, Eoin Colfer, Catherine Fulvio, Jennifer Johnston, Edna O'Brien, Mary O'Rourke and the late Maeve Binchy were among those honoured at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards at the RDS in Dublin on Thursday night.

Binchy was posthumously honoured with the Eason Popular Fiction Book of the Year for A Week in Winter, while Banville won the Eason Novel of the Year award for Ancient Light.

Johnston was presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to Irish literature.

Taylor won the Lifestyle Sports Sports Book of the Year for My Olympic Dream.

RTÉ Radio 1's John Murray Show Listeners' Choice Award went to Mary O'Rourke for her memoir Just Mary.

RTÉ Television will broadcast highlights of the Claire Byrne-hosted awards on RTÉ One on Saturday, November 24 at 11:05pm.

Edna O'Brien won the Argosy Non-Fiction Book of the Year for Country Girl.

Tana French won the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year for Broken Harbour.

The Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year went to Donal Ryan for The Spinning Heart.

The Specsavers Children's Book of the Year Junior category was won by Oliver Jeffers for This Moose Belongs to Me, while Eoin Colfer won the Senior category for Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian.

The Avonmore Cookbook of the Year award went to Catherine Fulvio for Eat Like an Italian.

The International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year was John Crowley, William J Smyth and Mike Murphy's Atlas of the Great Irish Famine.

Bridge Street Books in Wicklow Town was named Bord Gáis Energy Bookshop of the Year.

Over 42,000 votes were cast by members of the public, and voting is now open for the overall Bord Gáis Energy Book of the Year at www.irishbookawards.ie, with the winner announced on Monday December 17.

Alice Taylor, Gordon Snell and Edna O'Brien