Katie Taylor and Cecelia Ahern

Image: Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2012

OVER 50 IRISH authors gathered for the seventh Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards at the RDS last night to celebrate the best of Irish literature published in the last year.

Winners included, Katie Taylor, Edna O’ Brien, John Banville, Mary O’Rourke, Catherine Fulvio, and Maeve Binchy.

Novelist and playwright Jennifer Johnston was presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award by Joseph O’Connor for her contribution to Irish literature.

Among the 350 in attendance were Senator David Norris, hurling star Lar Corbett, comedian Maeve Higgins, Keith Ridgeway, David Park, and Cecelia Ahern.

Check out some of the glamour from the night:

Category winners:

• Eason Novel of the Year: Ancient Light by John Banville
• RTÉ Radio 1’s John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award: Just Mary by Mary O’ Rourke
• Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year: Broken Harbour by Tana French
• Avonmore Cookbook of the Year: Eat like an Italian by Catherine Fulvio
• The Argosy Non-Fiction Book of the Year: Country Girl by Edna O’ Brien
• Eason Popular Fiction Book of the Year: A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
• Lifestyle Sports Sports Book of the Year: My Olympic Dream by Katie Taylor
• Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year: The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan
• International Education Services Best Irish Published Book of the Year: Atlas of the Great Irish Famine by John Crowley, William J. Smyth and Mike Murphy
• Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Junior: This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
• Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Senior: Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
• Bord Gáis Energy Bookshop of the Year: Bridge Street Books, Wicklow Town

Read: Eight Irish writers on longlist for Impac book award

Read: Maeve Binchy’s final book tops Amazon’s pre-order list >

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