The 100 best Irish books of the 21st century – The Irish Times

It’s paywalled, so here’s the expanded list of the top 100.

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1: Milkman – Anna Burns (2018)

2: That They May Face the Rising Sun – John McGahern (2002)

3: Solar Bones – Mike McCormack (2016)

4: Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan (2021)

5: Foster – Claire Keegan (2010)

6: Trespasses – Louise Kennedy (2022)

7: The Spinning Heart – Donal Ryan (2012)

8: The Gathering – Anne Enright (2007)

9: Room – Emma Donoghue (2010)

10: The Sea – John Banville (2005)

11: Midwinter Break – Bernard MacLaverty (2017)

12: Soldier Sailor – Claire Kilroy (2023)

13: Brooklyn – Colm Tóibín (2009)

14: A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing – Eimear McBride (2013)

15: Skippy Dies – Paul Murray (2010)

16: Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell (2020)

17: The Master – Colm Tóibín (2004)

18: The Secret Scripture – Sebastian Barry (2008)

19: Normal People – Sally Rooney (2018)

20: Star of the Sea – Joseph O’Connor (2002)

21: The Green Road – Anne Enright (2015)

22: The Bee Sting – Paul Murray (2023)

23: City of Bohane – Kevin Barry (2012)

24: Academy Street – Mary Costello (2014)

25: Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann (2009)

26: The Glorious Heresies – Lisa McInerney (2015)

27: Netherland – Joseph O’Neill (2008)

28: The Story of Lucy Gault – William Trevor (2002)

29: Bad Day in Blackrock – Kevin Power (2008)

30: Spill Simmer Falter Wither – Sara Baume (2015)

31: Solace – Belinda McKeon (2011)

32: Young Skins – Colin Barrett (2013)

33: Close to Home – Michael Magee (2023)

34: Prophet Song – Paul Lynch (2023)

35: Wild Houses – Colin Barrett (2024)

36: A Ghost in the Throat – Doireann Ní Ghríofa (2020)

37: Girl – Edna O’Brien (2019)

38: Leonard and Hungry Paul – Rónán Hession (2019)

39: Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney (2017)

40: How to Build a Boat – Elaine Feeney (2023)

41: Ghost Light – Joseph O’Connor (2010)

42: The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne (2017)

43: Days Without End – Sebastian Barry (2016)

44: Paula Spencer – Roddy Doyle (2006)

45: Intermezzo – Sally Rooney (2024)

46: The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac – Louise Kennedy (2021)

47: Exciting Times – Naoise Dolan (2020)

48: Asking For It – Louise O’Neill (2015)

49: The Wren, The Wren – Anne Enright (2023)

50: Dinosaurs on Other Planets – Danielle McLaughlin (2014)

51: This Is Happiness – Niall Williams (2019)

52: The Little Red Chairs – Edna O’Brien (2015)

53: The Lesser Bohemians – Eimear McBride (2016)

54: Here Are the Young Men – Rob Doyle (2014)

55: Molly Fox’s Birthday – Deirdre Madden (2008)

56: Travelling in a Strange Land – David Park (2018)

57: At Swim, Two Boys – Jamie O’Neill (2001)

58: Sweet Home – Wendy Erskine (2019)

59: There Are Little Kingdoms – Kevin Barry (2007)

60: The Fire Starters – Jan Carson (2019)

61: Tatty – Christine Dwyer Hickey (2006)

62: The Truth Commissioner – David Park (2008)

63: Winterwood – Patrick McCabe (2006)

64: Show Them a Good Time – Nicole Flattery (2019)

65: Shadowplay – Joseph O’Connor (2019)

66: Long Island – Colm Tóibín (2024)

67: The Colony – Audrey Magee (2022)

68: The Narrow Land – Christine Dwyer Hickey (2019)

69: Walk the Blue Fields – Claire Keegan (2007)

70: Apeirogon – Colum McCann (2020)

71: Love and Summer – William Trevor (2009)

72: The Alternatives – Caoilinn Hughes (2024)

73: Night Boat to Tangier – Kevin Barry (2019)

74: White City – Kevin Power (2021)

75: Strange Sally Diamond – Liz Nugent (2023)

76: The Heart in Winter – Kevin Barry (2024)

77: Hawthorn & Child – Keith Ridgway (2012)

78: The Thing About December – Donal Ryan (2013)

79: A Long Long Way – Sebastian Barry (2005)

80: Ordinary Human Failings – Megan Nolan (2023)

81: Nora Webster – Colm Tóibín (2014)

82: The Blue Tango – Eoin McNamee (2001)

83: Pond – Claire-Louise Bennett (2015)

84: Tenderwire – Claire Kilroy (2006)

85: Glorious Exploits – Ferdia Lennon (2024)

86: Unravelling Oliver – Liz Nugent (2014)

87: Actress – Anne Enright (2020)

88: Multitudes – Lucy Caldwell (2016)

89: Beatlebone – Kevin Barry (2015)

90: Havoc, in Its Third Year – Ronan Bennett (2004)

91: A Line Made by Walking – Sara Baume (2017)

92: The Rachel Incident – Caroline O’Donoghue (2023)

93: Again, Rachel – Marian Keyes (2022)

94: Nora – Nuala O’Connor (2021)

95: Fallen – Lia Mills (2014)

96: Snowflake – Louise Nealon (2021)

97: This Hostel Life – Melatu Uche Okorie (2018)

98: Big Girl, Small Town – Michelle Gallen (2020)

99: Service – Sarah Gilmartin (2023)

100: Oh My God What a Complete Aisling – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (2017)

Aright fine, I suppose I should read Milkman