Ireland’s rich history, beautiful landscapes, and unique culture have inspired countless authors. If you love stories that transport you to another place, here are 35 novels set in Ireland that offer unforgettable journeys through its cities, countryside, and past.
You’ll find everything from family sagas and historical tales to mysteries and modern dramas.
This memoir recounts Frank McCourt’s childhood in Limerick. You experience the world through young Frank’s eyes as his family endures poverty, illness, and the strict rules of their Catholic upbringing.
McCourt finds humor even in dark moments, like trying to stay warm in a damp house or dealing with his father’s struggles. His voice is sharp, witty, and full of heartbreak and resilience.
Sally Rooney tells the story of Marianne and Connell, two young people from a small Irish town who share a complex, on-again, off-again connection. The book follows them through school in Sligo and university at Trinity College Dublin.
Marianne comes from a wealthy, cold family, while Connell’s mother works as a cleaner for Marianne’s family. Their intense bond shifts with issues of class, love, power dynamics, and miscommunication as they try to understand themselves and each other.
Set entirely on one day, June 16, 1904, this novel follows Leopold Bloom around Dublin. He performs ordinary tasks, attends a funeral, visits pubs, and has strange, intimate thoughts and encounters. The book overflows with details about Dublin life at the turn of the century.
Joyce connects Bloom’s journey to Homer’s Odyssey, so Bloom becomes a modern wanderer in a complex city as he thinks about identity, relationships, and time.
This novel centers on Michael Moran, a former IRA commander who now rules his family with an iron fist in rural Ireland. The story explores his strained relationships with his daughters and son, who both love and resent him.
You see the deep impact his authoritarian nature has on their lives and choices. It captures the tension between family loyalty and the desire for independence under the shadow of a powerful father figure.
Tana French sets this thriller in a nearly abandoned housing development outside Dublin, called Broken Harbour by locals. Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy investigates the brutal deaths of a young family found in their home there. The ghost estate adds a haunting atmosphere.
Kennedy has his own difficult memories tied to Broken Harbour from childhood summers. As he digs into the family’s secrets, the case forces him to confront his past.
You see the world through the eyes of Francie Brady, a boy in a small Irish town whose home life is falling apart. His friendship with Joe Purcell frays, and his obsession with the neighbor family, the Nugents, turns dark.
Francie’s voice is unsettling and pulls you into his chaotic perspective as reality slips away. It’s a raw portrait of a boy’s isolation and the consequences of a harsh upbringing.
This story follows two friends, Caithleen “Kate” Brady and Bridget “Baba” Brennan, as they grow up in rural Ireland. Kate is shy and romantic; Baba is bold and mischievous. They escape their convent school and move to Dublin to find freedom and love.
Their journey explores the challenges they face as they break from tradition and seek independence. The book captures their youthful hopes and eventual disillusionment in a changing Ireland.
Detective Rob Ryan investigates the murder of a young girl found at an archaeological site near Dublin. The location is disturbingly familiar; it’s the same woods where two of Rob’s childhood friends vanished years ago, an event from which he has blocked memories.
The current case forces him to revisit his buried trauma. This connection creates a tense, layered mystery about secrets and the past.
Set in Ireland just before the 1916 Easter Rising, this novel follows the intense bond between two teenage boys, Jim Mack and Doyler Doyle. They meet at the Forty Foot swimming spot near Dublin.
Against a backdrop of political turmoil and social pressure, their friendship deepens. The story explores themes of love, loyalty, nationalism, and identity during a pivotal moment in Irish history.
This book traces the intellectual and spiritual development of Stephen Dedalus as he grows up in Ireland. Stephen questions the Catholic faith, Irish politics, and family expectations that surround him.
He struggles with guilt and societal pressures but ultimately feels a strong pull toward art. He resolves to leave Ireland and forge his own path as an artist, free from constraint.
This novel critiques Anglo-Irish landlords who live lavishly in England while their Irish estates suffer. Lord Clonbrony neglects his responsibilities, but his thoughtful son, Lord Colambre, decides to visit their Irish lands in secret.
He witnesses firsthand the poverty and mismanagement caused by absentee landlords and corrupt agents. Colambre then works to understand the tenants’ plight and restore justice to the estate.
Freddie Montgomery, an educated man adrift, narrates this chilling story. After years abroad, he returns to Ireland. A reckless attempt to steal a valuable painting goes terribly wrong, and he commits a brutal, senseless murder.
From his jail cell, Freddie recounts the events in a cold, strangely poetic voice. He tries to explain his actions, but his confession reveals a disturbed mind and a profound detachment from humanity.
Benny Hogan and Eve Malone are best friends from the small Irish village of Knockglen. They head to University College Dublin in the 1950s, where their circle widens. They encounter handsome Jack Foley and sophisticated Nan Mahon.
The story follows their intertwined lives through university years filled with friendship, romance, family expectations, secrets, and painful betrayals. It has all the warmth and complications of youth and loyalty.
This intense novel follows a young man in rural Ireland through his difficult adolescence. He endures the oppressive authority of his abusive, widowed father while grappling with his own identity, faith, and desires.
The story examines his attempts to find a future for himself, perhaps through the priesthood or education, as a means of escape. It captures the heavy weight of family bonds and social expectations.
Two educators from different eras find their lives tragically intertwined. Raphael Bell is an old-school headmaster, deeply committed to tradition and discipline in his rural Irish school. Malachy Dudgeon is a younger, more modern teacher who arrives with different ideals.
Their clash represents a changing Ireland. As their personal histories and traumas surface, the tension between them builds towards a dark conclusion.
In the small Irish seaside town of Castlebay, Clare O’Brien dreams of more than her parents’ small shop offers. David Power feels the pressure of his family’s expectations as a doctor’s son.
Clare and David’s lives connect, and their bond grows amidst local secrets, heartbreak, and the tough choices between ambition and loyalty. The story captures the rhythms of small-town Irish life, full of love, hope, and deep roots.
Roseanne McNulty is nearly one hundred years old and has lived in the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital for decades. The hospital is closing, so her psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, must assess her. He becomes fascinated by her past.
The narrative alternates between Roseanne’s hidden autobiography, which she writes in the margins of books, and Dr. Grene’s notes. Together, they uncover long-buried secrets about her life, Irish history, love, and betrayal.
This bizarre and darkly funny novel begins after the unnamed narrator assists in a murder over money for his scholarly obsession: the works of a strange philosopher named de Selby. He then enters a surreal, illogical parish policed by eccentric officers obsessed with bicycles.
One theory suggests people become part-bicycle through atomic exchange. It’s a fantastic journey into absurdity that plays with reality and philosophical ideas.
Paula Spencer, a 39-year-old working-class Dubliner, tells her own story with raw honesty. She looks back on her life, particularly her marriage to Charlo, a man she loved deeply but who abused her terribly.
Paula recounts her struggles with domestic violence, alcoholism, and raising her children while trying to maintain her dignity. Her voice is powerful and unforgettable as she fights to reclaim herself.
This highly inventive novel features a Dublin university student who neglects his studies to write a book. His own novel contains multiple layers of fiction: he writes about a writer who writes about characters who live their own lives.
Cowboys, legendary Irish heroes like Finn MacCool, and figures from folklore all interact. The student’s characters eventually rebel against him. It’s a playful, meta-fictional book full of humor and absurdity.
Three generations of women—grandmother Dora, her daughter Lily, and granddaughter Helen—gather in Dora’s seaside home in Wexford. Helen’s brother, Declan, is dying of AIDS, and his impending death forces the women to confront their fractured relationships and unspoken pains.
Declan’s friends arrive too, which adds another layer to the family dynamic. The coastal setting provides a quiet space for tension, grief, and reconciliation.
This epic novel depicts Dublin life leading up to and during the momentous 1913 Lockout, a major industrial dispute.
It follows characters from all walks of life: impoverished tenement dwellers like “Rashers” Tierney, struggling workers like Fitz, priests like Father O’Connor, and the wealthy Bradshaw family.
The book shows the harsh realities of poverty, the fight for workers’ rights, and the deep social divisions within the city.
Set in an unnamed city in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, this novel follows an 18-year-old “middle sister.” She tries to keep her head down and avoid notice, but she attracts the unwanted attention of the “Milkman,” a sinister older paramilitary figure.
Her community buzzes with gossip and suspicion. Through her unique, anxious voice, the book explores the oppressive atmosphere of surveillance, paranoia, and unspoken rules in a divided society.
Based on real events in 1870s Ireland, this story unfolds in the town of Callan, County Kilkenny. A bitter dispute erupts between Father O’Shea (called Lanigan in the novel), a progressive priest, and his traditionalist parishioners over church administration and education.
The conflict divides the town and escalates dramatically. The book examines themes of faith, community power struggles, and the upheaval caused when authority is challenged.
Subtitled “The Homes of Tipperary,” this 19th‑century novel portrays life in the fictional Irish village of Knocknagow. It focuses on the struggles of tenant farmers under the threat of eviction by landlords and agents.
Characters like the athletic Mat “the Thrasher” Donovan embody resilience and community spirit. The book offers a detailed picture of rural traditions, hardships, loyalty, and the deep connection between the people and the land.
This historical novel brings the legendary figure Brian Boru to life. It traces his rise from the chieftain of a small kingdom to the High King of Ireland in the 10th and 11th centuries.
The story follows his lifelong struggle to unite the warring Irish clans and fend off Viking invaders, culminating in the Battle of Clontarf. You experience the brutal politics, fierce battles, and personal sacrifices of his quest for a unified Ireland.
Lilly Bere is 89 years old and living in America. After her grandson Bill tragically takes his own life, she reflects on her long and tumultuous past. Her memories span nearly seventy years, starting with her forced flight from Ireland after the War of Independence.
She recalls her life in America with her husband Tadg, marked by love, secrets, constant movement, and profound loss. It’s a moving story of survival and the weight of history.
Set in late 19th‑century Ireland, this novel centers on Charlotte Mullen, a clever, ambitious, and manipulative woman.
She schemes to improve her social standing and financial security, often at the expense of others, particularly her pretty, naive younger cousin Francie Fitzpatrick. The story exposes the hidden jealousies and social maneuvering beneath the surface of provincial life.
The contrast between the charming Irish setting and Charlotte’s cold calculations is sharp.
This novel paints a harsh picture of life in the fictional Irish village of Garradrimna, where gossip and judgment poison the community. Everyone watches everyone else, ready to criticize.
The story follows John Brennan, who returns from training for the priesthood, and the repercussions of past secrets involving his mother. It reveals how malicious curiosity and rigid social codes can dominate and destroy lives in a small, insular place.
Published in 1806, this influential romance tells the story of Horatio M‑, an Englishman banished to his father’s neglected estate in Connacht. There he meets Glorvina, the enchanting daughter of a descendant of an ancient Irish king.
Disguised, Horatio learns about Irish history, music, and customs from Glorvina and her father. The novel challenges English prejudices and promotes appreciation for Irish culture within a dramatic love story.
A messy crime links a group of characters in Cork city. Maureen Phelan accidentally kills an intruder in her kitchen. She calls her estranged gangster son, Jimmy, for help.
This event pulls others into the orbit of the crime, including Ryan, a troubled teenager dealing drugs for Jimmy, and Ryan’s alcoholic father, Tony. The story explores family dysfunction, poverty, religion, and the chaotic consequences of desperate actions.
This epic historical novel traces the story of Dublin across centuries, from its pre‑Viking origins through the early medieval period and the arrival of the Normans, up to the 16th century.
Rutherfurd uses the interconnected lives of fictional families—Druids, Vikings, Normans, native Irish—to illustrate major events and cultural shifts. You witness the city’s birth and growth through triumphs, tragedies, and the blending of peoples.
Sebastian Dangerfield is a young, broke American veteran studying law at Trinity College Dublin after World War II. He lives a wild, irresponsible life filled with drinking, womanizing, and dodging creditors, all while married with a young daughter.
His chaotic adventures through Dublin and the Irish countryside are both funny and bleak. The novel captures a specific post‑war bohemian atmosphere through its energetic, often outrageous protagonist.
Rosaleen Madigan decides she’s going to sell the family home in County Clare. This news prompts her four adult children—scattered across the globe in New York, West Africa, and Dublin—to return for one last Christmas.
The narrative shifts through time and location, exploring the lives, choices, regrets, and complex relationships of each family member. It reveals the deep, often difficult bonds that tie them to each other and to their Irish roots.
Set over three harrowing days in a Dublin hospital maternity ward in 1918, this novel occurs during the height of the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic and World War I. Nurse Julia Power works tirelessly in an understaffed ward for pregnant women suffering from the virus.
She forms intense connections with Bridie Sweeney, a young volunteer helper with a troubled past, and Dr. Kathleen Lynn, a real historical figure involved in the fight for Irish independence. It’s a story about resilience, loss, and unexpected closeness in a time of crisis.