Joseph O’Connor’s latest novel, The Ghosts of Rome, has been named the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025.

The announcement was made during a special television broadcast on RTÉ One hosted by broadcaster Oliver Callan. The book, which previously won ‘The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award’ at the An Post Irish Book Awards, was selected as the overall winner by a panel of judges chaired by author Paul Howard.

The Ghosts of Rome is the second instalment in O’Connor’s Escape Line Trilogy. It follows the success of the first book, My Father’s House, which has sold over 150,000 copies in English. Both novels reached the Number One spot on the Irish bestseller charts within days of their release.

Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty
The trilogy is inspired by the extraordinary true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, known as the ‘Vatican Pimpernel’.

Though born in County Cork, O’Flaherty was raised in Killarney, attending the local Monastery school.

During World War II, O’Flaherty used his position in the Vatican to coordinate an ‘Escape Line’, a secret network that smuggled over 6,500 Allied soldiers and Jews to safety from Nazi-occupied Rome.

Despite constant threats from the Gestapo and a bounty on his head, he operated from the steps of St Peter’s Basilica, providing refugees with food, money, and false papers.

Joseph O’Connor is currently working on the final book of the trilogy.

While The Ghosts of Rome continues to dominate bestseller lists, fans will have to wait until early 2027 for the conclusion of the series.

A Killarney motor dealership has been recognised at national level after Dineen O’Donoghue Suzuki was named Aftersales Customer Experience Dealer of the Year at the 2025 Suzuki Ireland Dealer of the Year Awards.

The awards ceremony took place at Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare, where Suzuki Ireland honoured dealerships from across its 24-strong national network for performance and customer service over the past year.
The Killarney dealership received the accolade in recognition of its consistently high standards in customer care and aftersales service.
Suzuki Ireland Managing Director Takanori Suzuki praised the overall dealer network for its achievements, noting that 2025 delivered record results for the brand in Ireland, including a new market share high and more than 2,350 vehicles sold before year end.
He added that Suzuki dealers will play a key role in the brand’s plans for 2026, including the launch of the new fully electric e Vitara next spring.