15 Amazing Books That Take Place in Ireland (2024)
Looking for books that take place in Ireland? You’re in good company. As an avid reader, I’m apart of two bookclubs and on average, read 5-6 books every month. Having been to Ireland, and being a book lover, I have read several books set in the stunning emerald isle.
Books set in Ireland are often written by Irish authors and can offer you a perspective on the country’s history and culture that you wouldn’t see by just visiting; life in Ireland historically as well as in the modern day.
Some of the books set in Ireland are light and easy reads, and others deal with more serious or heavy themes. There are a few memoirs, and some great works of historical fiction among them.
Ireland is my favourite place to visit, and I love a way to travel back to the lush, rugged countryside by reading books that take place there.
Here are the best books set in Ireland, from a book lover
Fictional Books that Take Place in Ireland
1. The Irish Lake House
By Colleen Coleman
Published: 2023
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)
The Irish Lakehouse by Colleen Coleman is perfect for dreaming of the Irish countryside, which is described so beautifully.
It’s very wholesome, and a ‘feel good’ novel – so if that’s what you’re looking for, you would love it. My only problem with this book is that its a bit predictable – but its a nice, light easy read that I still enjoyed. It ‘brought me back’ to Ireland, which I really liked.
I could imagine myself giving this book to my daughter when she’s a teenager to read as a way to introduce her to the magic of Ireland.
Get The Irish Lakehouse here
2. In A Thousand Different Ways
By Cecelia Ahren
Published: 2023
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)
Of all these books set in Ireland, In A Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern is my favourite. It isn’t about Ireland perse, but it’s written by an Irish author and takes place in Cork, as well as in London.
If you’re interested in topics like mental health, dysfunctional families, human behaviour and moods, and don’t mind a hint at magical realism (as the main character has a peculiar ability) – then I would highly recommend this book!
The author, Cecelia Ahren is also the author of PS, I Love You, which turned into a major motion picture, and is completely set in Ireland.
Get In A Thousand Different Ways or PS, I Love You here
3. The Girls from Sandycove
By Sian O’Gorman
Published: 2024
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.4)
The Girls from Sandycove is the perfect heartwarming, and feel-good Irish book to cozy up to. It has themes of motherhood, mother-daughter relationships and friendship.
The main characters are:
- a young woman who returns home after getting pregnant abroad
- her friend who is dealing with her husband’s betrayal
- her mom who also returns home after a turn of events in her own life abroad.
These three intertwined stories of these women deal with some difficult themes, but overall, it’s a feel-good book.
Get The Girls from Sandycove here
4. A Week in Winter
By Maeve Binchy
Published: 2012
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)
A Week in Winter is about visitors at a historic stone house turned winter holiday hotel on the west coast of Ireland.
It’s a cozy read with good characters (it reminded me a little bit of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, except set in Ireland instead of Australia.)
The author, Maeve Binchy, was a popular Irish novelist who wrote lots of best-selling books. She passed away in 2012, and A Week in Winter was one of her last books.
Get your copy of A Week in Winter here
5. The Lost Bookshop
By Evie Woods
Published: 2023
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.7)
I read The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods for a book club, and it’s one of the higher-rated books on this list. Everyone in my book club really enjoyed it.
It takes place in Dublin, and Paris. There are many descriptions of places and attractions in Dublin, as well as outside of the capital in small towns. It involves some magical realism, and changing of perspectives.
To be honest, it wasn’t my favourite book set in Ireland (to be honest.. I didn’t really like it.) However, because of its rave reviews – it’s clear that many others feel differently so I can’t neglect to recommend it.
Grab a copy of The Lost Bookshop Here
6. The Heart’s Invisible Furries
By John Boyne
Published: 2017
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5)
The Heart’s Invisible Furries is a book that explores social justice issues of 20th century Ireland, such as discrimination and homophobia. There is a pregnant unwed mother who is shunned a priest, and a gay couple, but also characters that have to conceal their true homosexuality. The story spans between the 1940s and 2008.
Needless to say, this isn’t a light read. Its a heavier read, but a really well written one. I would highly recommend it if you’re interested in social justice issues of Ireland.
Get The Hearts Invisible Furries here
7. Brooklyn
By Colm Toibin
Published: 2010
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.6)
Brooklyn is about a young Irish woman in the 1950s who is forced to immigrate to the United States, but misses her homeland terribly.
Ultimately, some events bring her back to Ireland – and when she’s there, she comes to a fork in the road with some decisions to make. A great book about longing for Ireland, as well as love, family and tough decisions.
I personally enjoyed reading Brooklyn and have kept it on my shelf.
Get a copy of Brooklyn here
8. Angela’s Ashes
By Frank McCourt
Published: 1996
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)
Angela’s Ashes is a historical, but classic memoir about the author’s experience growing up in poverty, and with an alcoholic father and many siblings. The author at one point had to steal from people in order to help his family survive. It’s about resilience and pushing for a better life.
Angela (from the book’s title) was the author’s mother, and she was from Limerick. (If you visit Limerick, you can do a walking tour of the author’s home.)
Pro Tip: The audiobook of Angela’s Ashes has an introduction narrated by Jeanette Walls, who’s the author of one of my favourite memoirs of all time, The Glass Castle.
Get a physical copy or Audible version of Angela’s Ashes here
9. Seven Steeples
By Sara Baume
Published: 2022
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)
If you love nature, countryside (and dogs) then Seven Steeples is right up your alley. It’s about a couple who want to disconnect from the hustle and bustle by moving into the Irish countryside with their dogs.
It’s not a very plot-driven book, so if you’re looking for a fast-paced page-turner, this might not be the best fit. But it’s very beautifully written quiet read about a couple living life on their own terms, away from society.
Get a copy of Seven Steeples here
10. The Pull of the Stars
By Emma Donogue
Published: 2020
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.2)
The Pull of Our Stars by Emma Donogue is a beautiful book about the friendship of three women healthcare workers in 1918. Since Ireland was suffering from war and disease at the time, these healthcare workers lose patients but also save lives.
The three women, who work as a nurse, a doctor and a volunteer healthcare assistant all primarily work with expectant mother’s who are quarantined during a time of disease spread. It’s a great novel; the 13th of the author and was even #1 in Canada.
Get The Pull of Our Stars here
11. Normal People
By Sally Rooney
Published: 2019
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)
Normal People is about the complicated relationship between two people (a guy and a girl) spanning from their highschool years into adulthood. It’s about the struggle of connecting because of personality differences, but also trauma, which hinders you being able to be vulnerable and allow other people in.
The story takes place in a small Irish town, as well as in Dublin where the main characters study at Trinity College. If you’re interested at all in human behaviour, psychology, vulnerability, the messiness and complication of human connection, then you may enjoy this book. It was also turned into a mini TV series in 2020.
Get Normal People here
12. Home Stretch
By Graham Norton
Published: 2021
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.4)
Home Stretch is about a young man named Connor who flees Ireland in an attempt to bury his past after his involvement in an accident in a small Irish town that kills three people before a wedding.
The story takes place in the 80s, and deals with homophobia, emigration, secrets as well as the theme of eventually confronting one’s past.
Despite that heavy themes that the novel deals with, Home Stretch is actually on the lighter side of reads and has a story that really draws you in.
Get a copy of Home Stretch here
13. Faithful Place
By Tana French
Published: 2013
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)
Faithful Place is, like many books set in Ireland, actually about the main character trying to leave Ireland – but ultimately being pulled back. A young man believes he’s been stood up by the woman he planned to run away with – but 20 years later, the reason she didn’t show up proves to be an unsolved mystery.
Tana French is an award-winning novelist from Dublin, and it was hard to choose which of her books to feature as ‘one of the best’ set in Ireland – because she has many. It’s her third book, and is about lost love, family travel, and confronting your past, which are themes I personally feel drawn to.
Other popular books of Tana French are The Hunter and The Search.
Grab a copy of Faithful Place here
14. Red Branch
By Morgan Lywelyn
Published: 1989
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.4)
Red Branch is a classic about an Irish boy who becomes a demigod and mythical hero named Cuchulain (pronounced koo-choo-lyn.)
His name in Irish means “the hound of Ulster”, and Ulster is a place in northern Ireland. It takes place in Ireland 2,000 years in the past. If you enjoy folklore, then this is a great read!
Grab Red Branch here
15. The Guest List
By Lucy Foley
Published: 2024
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.4)
The Guest List is a suspense/thriller novel about a wedding that takes place on an island off the coast of Ireland. The author, Lucey Foley isn’t an Irish writer (she’s from England) but the book very much captures the secluded, rugged landscape of Ireland.
I read The Guest List for a book club, and it was fast paced, exciting and a page-turner. While the island it takes place on is fictional, the book captures the Irish countryside beautifully. Irish weddings today often do take place in castle hotels, and the book felt very true to that.
Grab The Guest List here
Resources for Finding Good Books set in Ireland
It’s not possible to list all the great books that take place in Ireland in this one article. Here are some resources to help you discover more good reads from Ireland
- Dubray Books is Ireland’s largest bookstore chain, and they have 13 locations throughout Ireland, including one on Grafton Street in Dublin. See their selection of books set in Ireland here
- When you visit small towns in Ireland, you will see small independently owned bookshops. Some examples are Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway, or Waterstones in Cork. I highly recommend giving these bookshops your business and finding some unique Irish reads. These make great souvenirs or gifts from Ireland
- Consider second-hand bookshops in Ireland if you want to save some money on books while you’re on the go. One of the best is Bell, Book and Candle in the west of Galway city
- Other notable Irish authors (besides the ones mentioned above) include:
- Louise O’Neill
- Oscar Wilde, who wrote poetry and a classic novel in the 1800s
- Melanie Maure (Canadian, but second generation Irish, and wrote The Sisters of Belfast which takes place in Ireland)
- Find more on Penguin Random House here
Final Thoughts Books Set in Ireland
I hope that this book has helped you pick some new reads to add to your shelf. As a book lover, and someone who loves Ireland, I believe you can’t go wrong with any of these books that take place in Ireland.
The one(s) you choose will depend on the kind of book you’re looking for. Irish novels are diverse and have a range of themes, genres and topics. From one book lover to another, I wish you happy reading!