'A special moment': University of Limerick professor wins top honour at An Post Irish Book Awards

THE Ghosts of Rome by Professor Joseph O’Connor, Frank McCourt Chair of Creative Writing at University of Limerick, has been announced as the 2025 An Post Irish Book of the Year.

The book was among six titles competing for the accolade, all of which were category winners at the An Post Irish Book Awards.

The Ghosts of Rome was unveiled as the An Post Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour special television show aired on RTÉ One last night hosted by broadcaster Oliver Callan.

The best-selling novel also won The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award and was chosen as the overall winner by a distinguished panel of judges.

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The Ghosts of Rome is one of the biggest-selling books in Ireland in 2025 and the first of Prof O'Connor's novels to receive the Irish Book of the Year Award.

Three days after publication, the novel claimed the number one spot on the Irish bestseller chart, remaining in the overall Irish top ten for five weeks and in the Irish paperback top ten for sixteen weeks.

Lauded by critics both at home and internationally, The Ghosts of Rome has been described as “dazzling” by The New York Times while The Irish Times described it as an “extraordinary picture of Rome under Nazi control”.

The novel is the sequel to My Father’s House, which introduced readers to the heroism of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty in Nazi-occupied Rome and his band of Escape Line activists, known as ‘The Choir’, as they attempt to smuggle refugees to safety.

The Ghosts of Rome was published in paperback this week with the final book in the Rome Escape Line trilogy due for publication in January 2027.

A former student of Prof O’Connor’s, Gráinne O’Brien, was also shortlisted for the Irish Book of the Year Award for her debut novel, Solo, the roots of which began while she was a student on the MA in Creative Writing at UL.

Gráinne, who is both a graduate of UL’s Bachelor of Arts and MA in Creative Writing, is head book buyer at Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway and a guest lecturer in UL where she teaches creative writing to undergraduate students.

Congratulating Prof O’Connor on his award, Dr Sandra Joyce, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, said:

“I am delighted to congratulate Professor Joseph O’Connor on receiving the prestigious Irish Book of the Year award at the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards."

“This remarkable achievement is a testament to his exceptional talent, creativity and contribution to literature."

“His work continues to inspire readers and enrich the cultural landscape of Ireland and beyond. We are so fortunate to call him a colleague here at UL.”

Speaking about the accolade, Prof O’Connor said: “I'm overjoyed and deeply honoured for The Ghosts of Rome to win Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025."

“It's a special moment for UL Creative Writing because my friend and colleague, the great Donal Ryan, won this award last year, and our former student, Gráinne O'Brien, was shortlisted for it this year, following her stunning victory in the Young Adult Fiction category for her brilliant novel Solo."

“My novel Shadowplay won Novel of the Year in 2019 but The Ghosts of Rome is the first of my books to be honoured with the top prize at the Irish Book Awards," added Prof O'Connor.

“I'm hugely thankful to the voters and judging panel.”

Author and chair of the An Post Book of the Year judging panel, Paul Howard, commented: 

“Choosing a Book of the Year was the toughest of tough tasks."

“The Ghosts of Rome is a beautiful piece of writing as well as a thrilling piece of historical fiction. In dealing with the theme of good people standing up to the evils of fascism, it has strong resonance for the times in which we are living."

Prof O’Connor is the author of eleven novels, including Star of the Sea, Ghost Light (Dublin One City One Book novel 2011) and Shadowplay, whose work has been translated into forty languages.

Among his awards are the Prix Zepter for European Novel of the Year, France’s Prix Millepages, Italy’s Premio Acerbi, an American Library Association Award and the Irish Pen Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature.

As well as being a best-selling novelist, Prof O’Connor is a frequent and acclaimed broadcaster. He has worked with many well-known musicians and has performed spoken-word pieces at major venues including the National Concert Hall, New York’s Lincoln Centre, the Barbican Centre in London and the Royal Albert Hall.

In 2014, he was appointed Frank McCourt Chair of Creative Writing at University of Limerick where he leads several modules on the MA in Creative Writing programme.