What are the Best Books for Saint Patrick’s Day?

What are the best books for Saint Patrick’s Day? Books by Irish writers, of course. Here are our recommended reads from authors of Irish heritage. Some are classics from long ago, and some are recent releases. If you’re wondering what to read on Saint Patrick’s Day, read on.

What are the Best Books for Saint Patrick’s Day?

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many locations – of course, its a big deal in Ireland and America. But it’s also celebrated in Japan, Singapore and Russia, among other far-flung locales.

So wherever you are in the world, you’re likely to find someone willing to shout Erin Go Bragh! with you.

To mark the occasion, here’s our list of recommended reads written by authors of Irish heritage, including two noteworthy poets whose collected works we should all make a habit of re-reading from time to time.

recommended reads from authors of Irish heritage

You may have big plans for the day itself. But now you can add curling up with a great work of Irish literature as one of the many excellent ways to mark Saint Patrick’s Day.

1.

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann. This lovely novel interweaves the stories of three real-world transatlantic crossings and the deeply-felt emotions behind them. First, in 1919, two aviators set course for Ireland as they attempt the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Second, in Dublin in 1845, freed slave Frederick Douglass finds the Irish people sympathetic to the abolitionist cause. Finally, in 1998, Senator George Mitchell departs for Belfast to shepherd Northern Ireland’s notoriously difficult peace talks. In this brilliant mosaic, many of us can find our own stories connected to the story of Ireland.

2.

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When an opportunity to immigrate to America comes, she decides to go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind. In New York, she finds both work and love. But then devastating news arrives from Ireland. This New York Times bestseller was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Even if you saw the movie, read the book.

3.

Last Stories by William Trevor. The late William Trevor has long been regarded as one of the best writers of short stories in the English language. This volume contains ten tales—nine of which have never been published in book form. As with so much of his work, they illuminate the human condition in surprising and tender ways.

4.

Normal People by Sally Rooney. The second novel from the critically-acclaimed author of Conversations with Friends, this novel is about a relationship between a young man and a young woman. It begins when they’re at school in a small town in West Ireland and continues – on and off – for another four years while they’re at college in Dublin. Rooney has been hailed a “Salinger for the Snapchat generation.” Read and find out what all the fuss is about. You won’t be disappointed.

5.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. An iconic biography that won the author a Pulitzer Prize and remained for many months on the best-seller list. A deeply effecting memoir of his childhood in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. His mother, Angela, raises a large family essentially alone. His father is a ner-do-well who leaves his son with only one gift: the ability to tell a story.

6.

100 Poems by Seamus Heaney. For readers who have never experienced this poet’s work, this is the perfect place to start. It’s an intimate gathering of poems chosen and introduced by the late poet’s family. Coinciding with the National Library of Ireland’s new exhibition dedicated to his life and work, consider this the gateway to the oeuvre of a great writer.

7.

The Collected Poetry of William Butler Yeats by William Butler Yeats. Born and educated in Dublin, Ireland, Yeats spent most of his writing career fascinated by Irish folklore. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, the writer produced a vast collection of stories, songs, and poetry of Ireland’s historical and legendary past. This compilation includes a vast number of his iconic works.

8.

Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan. Nora and Theresa Flynn are twenty-one and seventeen when they leave their small village in Ireland and journey to America. When Theresa ends up pregnant, Nora is forced to come up with a plan—a decision with repercussions they are both far too young to understand. Fifty years later, after decades of silence, a sudden death forces the sisters to confront the choices they made long ago.

9.

The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien. A mysterious stranger arrives in the small Irish town of Cloonoila. He’s handsome and charismatic, and soon the entire community is under his spell. One woman who lives in the village falls in love with him. Then, out of the blue, it’s revealed that he’s a notorious war criminal and mass murderer. Moving from Ireland to London and then to The Hague, this is a story plumbing of the depths of depravity, and shining a light on the fight for personal redemption.

10.

Ulysses by James Joyce. The 1922 novel for which the iconic author is best known, this remains a must-read. In it, the episodes of Homer’s Odyssey are paralleled in an array of contrasting literary styles, including stream of consciousness.

11.

The Gathering by Anne Enright won the 2007 Man Booker Prize and is considered to  be among her very best works. When Liam Hegarty commits suicide, his sister Veronica looks back on his life and tries to make sense of its tragic end. She reexamines their shared childhood, and in doing so, is forced to confront troubling truths about their family.

12.

Milkman by Anna Burns. While not explicitly set in Ireland, this novel evokes the time of The Troubles in a modern way. In an unnamed city, middle sister stands out for the wrong reasons. So when a local paramilitary known as the milkman begins pursuing her, she suddenly becomes “interesting,” the last thing she ever wanted to be. Rumors spread and the threat of violence lingers. Winner of the Mann Booker Prize for 2018, this is a cautionary tale about the way inaction can have enormous repercussions.

the Best Books for Saint Patrick’s Day

That’s our list of a dozen perfect books to read for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s an embarrassment of riches that should leave you feeling lucky, no matter which one you choose. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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