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Listowel Writers’ Week has announced the winner of Ireland’s longest running and most respected literary prize for fiction, as the award marks 30 years of Kerry Group sponsorship.
Gráinne O’Hare’s Thirst Trap has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award at the opening night of the 55th anniversary of Listowel Writers’ Week. The festival was officially opened by award-winning Irish broadcast journalist and television presenter Miriam O’Callaghan, with acclaimed novelist Colm Tóibín among those in attendance.
Set against the pressures and contradictions of contemporary life, Thirst Trap was selected from a shortlist that reflected the depth and variety of current Irish fiction. Judges praised the novel for its intelligence, emotional precision and distinctive voice.
“Congratulations to Gráinne O’Hare on winning the 2026 Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award for Thirst Trap,” said Catherine Keogh, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Kerry. “It is especially encouraging to see such a distinctive new voice emerge, continuing the remarkable tradition of Irish authors celebrated through Listowel Writers’ Week. All this year’s nominees were outstanding, and as Kerry marks 30 years of sponsoring this award, we are proud to support original Irish voices and the enduring impact of Irish storytelling.”
The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award is recognised as one of Ireland’s most significant literary honours and carries a prize fund of €20,000. Presented annually as part of Ireland’s oldest literary and arts festival, the award continues to celebrate exceptional Irish fiction and the enduring strength of the novel form in Irish writing.
This year’s shortlist also included Conversation with the Sea by Hugo Hamilton, The Wardrobe Department by Elaine Garvey, Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ní Mhaoilchoin and The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr. The award was adjudicated by former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and acclaimed novelist and essayist Andrew O’Hagan.
Chairman of Listowel Writers’ Week, Ned O’Sullivan, said: “The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award has, over many years, become an important part of Ireland’s literary landscape, recognising fiction that challenges, moves and endures. This year carries added significance as we mark 30 years of Kerry Group sponsorship, a partnership that has sustained one of the country’s most respected literary prizes while remaining rooted here in Listowel. We warmly congratulate Gráinne O’Hare on a novel of remarkable intelligence, wit and insight.”
Founded in 1970, Listowel Writers’ Week remains closely associated with the rich literary tradition of North Kerry and with generations of writers who have gathered in the town for storytelling and conversation. Across more than five decades, the festival has welcomed many of the leading voices in Irish and international literature while continuing to maintain a strong connection to local audiences, schools, readers and emerging writers.
Throughout the festival week, streets, cafés, pubs, bookshops and public spaces across Listowel become places of literary exchange, where established authors and first-time visitors meet in readings, workshops and informal conversations that extend late into the evening.
The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award has played a significant role in recognising and supporting Irish fiction since its establishment, honouring writers whose work has shaped contemporary literature both nationally and internationally. Previous winners include Niall Williams (Time of the Child, 2025), Darragh McKeon (Remembrance Sunday, 2024), Aingeala Flannery (The Amusements, 2023), Claire Keegan (Foster, 2022), Sebastian Barry, Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín and John Banville among many others.
Over the coming days, the festival programme will feature public interviews, theatre, poetry, music, children’s events, creative workshops and literary discussions across venues throughout the town.
Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.
