We're a nation known for its rich literary history; the biggest problem is attempting to narrow the abundant talent in Irish literature down.

However, we've given it our best shot. Below, you'll find our (highly subjective) list of 10 of the best Irish novels published since 2000.

1. Paul Murray – Skippy Dies

Murray's novel about a teenage boy who dies in a donut-eating contest – and the events that led to his death at the fictional Seabrook College in Dublin – struck just the right balance of hilarity and despondency when it was published in 2010.

Buy it at Eason

2. Sally Rooney – Conversations with Friends

A novel that superbly captures the intricacies of young Irish twentysomethinss Frances and Bobbi's complicated relationships – both with each other and with other people – without resorting to hokiness or cliches.

Buy it at Bookstation

3. Colm Toibin – Brooklyn

A beautifully-told story of both the longing to escape and the eternal pull of small-town Ireland, 'Brooklyn' is one of Toibin's most understated, yet finest works. It won and was shortlisted for various prizes and was adapted for film in 2015.

Buy it at Eason

4. Joseph O'Connor – Star of the Sea

A hugely ambitious and enjoyable novel that is as much of a murder mystery as it is a historical document, Star of the Sea weaves together multiple narratives, threads and stories of passengers aboard the titular famine ship as it makes its way to New York. Not to be confused with...

Buy it at Dubray Books

5. Colum McCann – Let the Great World Spin

Anchored by two events – one, Philippe Petit's remarkable Twin Towers tightrope walk in 1974, the other a courtroom trial of an NYC prostitute – McCann's excellent 2009 novel was celebrated for its innovative format (told via eleven characters) and remarkable storytelling.

Buy it at Tara Book Company

6. Sara Baume – Spill Simmer Falter Wither

It was more than just dog-lovers who fell for the charms of Sara Baume's 2015 debut. A tender, touching novel that explores the relationship between two misfits - lonely book-lover Ray and his faithful rescue terrier, One Eye – it's a book that's difficult to put down.

Buy it at Eason

7. Mary Costello - Academy Street

Her short story collection The China Factory earned multiple plaudits upon its publication in 2012, but Costello's debut novel proved an even bigger hit in 2014. Following the life of Irishwoman Tess across six decades in rural Ireland and New York, it was praised for its sense of intimacy and pathos.

Buy it at Eason

8. William Trevor - Love and Summer

He was renowned for his short stories, but Trevor's 2009 novel proved equally stirring as it recounted the clandestine love affair between young farmer's wife Ellie and visiting photographer, Florian, in small-town Ireland in the 1950s.

Buy it at Eason

9. Roddy Doyle - The Women Behind the Door

A timely and powerful novel of regrets, reparations, and reconciliations, The Women Behind the Door is a delicately devastating portrait of shame and the inescapable shadow it casts over families. Many readers will welcome the chance to reconnect with this strong, singular character whom we have seen in The Woman Who Walked into Doors and Paula Spencer, but all readers will be glad to have Paula in their life now.

Buy it at Bookstation

10. Caroline O'Donoghue - The Rachel Incident

Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine their fates.

Buy it at Eason

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