Wexford Castles: Environment, Settlement and Society by Billy Colfer (Cork University Press) introduced and illustrated fascinating aspects of Wexford's history and heritage. Over many years Billy Colfer did meticulous research on building and landscape in Wexford; his death this year is a real loss. This last book is a great monument to him.

In fiction, a number of new Irish writers appeared with work that is exciting and stylistically adventurous: Donal Ryan for The Spinning Heart (Doubleday Ireland) and The Thing About December (Doubleday Ireland/Lilliput), Eimear McBride for A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing (Galley Beggar Press), Paul Lynch for Red Sky in Morning (Quercus), Gavin Corbett for This Is the Way (Fourth Estate) and Colin Barrett for Young Skins (Stinging Fly Press).

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