The Coastal Atlas of Ireland has won the “Best Irish Published Book” in this year’s An Post book awards.
The award sponsored by TheJournal.ie aims to reward the excellence of native publishing.
Submitted titles must come from an Irish-based publishing house, and the public is invited to vote on a shortlist.
The Coastal Atlas of Ireland published by Cork University Press (CUP) was one of seven titles nominated in this particular category.
Edited by Robert Devoy, Val Cummins, Barry Brunt, Darius Bartlett and Sarah Kandrot, the atlas presents views of the island’s coastal future: where will the coast and its people be in 2200, or even next year, and what will its different landscapes look like.
Its six sections have been written by over 140 contributors in fields ranging from archaeology to zoology.
Weighing almost five kilos, it includes original maps and illustrations, while it also has a StoryMap online element.
It has been billed by CUP as the “only single publication to explore the coast of Ireland as a whole, from both the physical and social perspectives”.
Themes including tourism and recreation, fishing, aquaculture, energy, ports and linked industries are explored across both space and time - from the impacts of Quaternary glaciation on the Irish landscape to the future impacts of climate warming on coastal communities and Irish society.
The Coastal Atlas of Ireland forms the twelfth, and the latest, in an acclaimed series of atlases published by CUP.
CUP’s Atlas of the Irish Revolution and The Atlas of the Great Irish Famine were previous winners of the best Irish published book category.
Readers are invited to vote from today (November 24) for the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year on the official website, and the winner will be announced as part of a one-hour special on RTÉ One on Wednesday, December 8th.
The Coastal Atlas of Ireland, which was the subject of a recent Wavelengths podcast for Afloat, is available in all good bookshops.
The full list of winners for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2021:
(1)The Journal Best Irish Published Book of the Year
The Coastal Atlas of Ireland – Val Cummins, Robert Devoy, Barry Brunt, Darius Bartlett, Sarah Kandrot
(2)Eason Novel of the Year
Beautiful World, Where Are You – Sally Rooney
(3)Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year
56 Days – Catherine Ryan Howard
(4)Eason Sport Book of the Year in association with Ireland AM
Fight Or Flight: My Life, My Choices – Keith Earls, with Tommy Conlon
(5)Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year
Snowflake – Louise Nealon
(6)Odgers Berndtson Non-Fiction Book of the Year
We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958 – Fintan O’Toole
(7)Dubray Biography of the Year
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? – Séamas O’Reilly
(8)Bookselling Ireland Cookbook of the Year
Everyday Cook – Donal Skehan
(9) National Book Tokens Popular Fiction Book of the Year
Aisling and the City – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
(10) Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year
Décor Galore – Laura De Barra
(11) Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year (Junior)
A Hug for You – David King, illustrated by Rhiannon Archard
(12) Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year (Senior)
The Summer I Robbed a Bank – David O’Doherty, illustrated by Chris Judge
(13) Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year
The New Girl – Sinead Moriarty
(14) RTÉ Audience Choice Award
Your One Wild And Precious Life – Maureen Gaffney
(15) Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year
Marian Keyes
(16) Writing.ie Short Story of the Year
Little Lives – Deirdre Sullivan
(17) Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year
Longboat at Portaferry – Siobhan Campbell
(18) The Love Leabhar Gaeilge Irish Language Book of the Year
Madame Lazare – Tadgh Mac Dhonnagain
(19) The An Post Bookshop of the Year
Kennys Bookshop and Art Gallery, Galway
