Welcome to my 2026 Summer political reading list. As always, the choices here are personal and subjective… these are the books that interested me. They have a distinctly Irish flavour… and reflect my political outlooksand opinions. I have read most (though not all) of them. Some are books you read from cover to cover, some are books you dip in and out of.
I hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment below. Both on your thoughts about the eight books on the list (plus the shortly list of nearly included), and also on the books which you have enjoyed but I have not included.
Derek Mooney, July 26, 2026
Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir
edited by Ronan McGreevy (Ériu/Bonnier, March 2026)
This is my standout winner of the best political book of 2026… so far. Based on hours of taped interviews that Seán Lemass made with his friend and businessman Dermot Ryan between 1967 and 1969, the book covers Lemass’s role in the GPO in 1916, the founding of Fianna Fáil, the pivot from economic protectionism to foreign direct investment, and his landmark 1965 meeting with Terence O’Neill. It is extraordinary to think that these tapes were just sitting in the Lemass archive in UCD, and we are only reading them years later thanks to the hard work and determination of Irish Times journalist and author of Great Hatred Ronan McGreevy, and members of the Lemass family, notably Sean Haughey. This book could be sub-titled a handbook for any budding political leader.
Running From Office
by Eoghan Murphy (Ériu, 6 November 2025)
While the fact that Lemass didn’t write his write is compensated by the existence of the taped interviews, it is a regrettable fact that so few Irish political figures do write a biography. Unfortunately, some, including the other big Fine Gael beast biography published a few weeks before this one, read like a what I did on my holidays primary class essay. That criticism cannot be levelled at Eoghan Murphy’s book. Despite my very best efforts, I really enjoyed this book. First as a podcast, and then in print.
The Eoghan Murphy who emerges from this book is very unlike the one we saw as a sometimes hapless, sometimes supercilious Housing Minister who thought the market would solve everything. Murphy recounts the frustrations and difficulties of senior political office, but managed to never be self-serving. He doesn’t hold back in his criticisms of how we run our affairs, most notably of himself, which makes him almost endearing. It is also a reminder of how political life can burn one out. Rory Stewart called the book an “…honest and witty portrait of the humiliations, idealism, nobility and banality of democratic life.” He is right. Another must read for any budding politico.
For and Against a United Ireland
by Fintan O’Toole & Sam McBride (Royal Irish Academy, November 2025)
I was sure I had included Sam McBride’s previous book: Burned: The Inside Story of the ‘Cash-for-Ash’ Scandal in my 2020 list… but I didn’t. An oversight on my part. Putting his latest work, co-written with Fintan O’Toole, is no mere attempt to fix that oversight.
This book deserves to be on this list and should be read by anyone with a real interest in the constitutional future of this island, be they strongly republican or staunchly unionist. The book does not attempt to undermine existing belief, but instead encourages both persuaders for the union and for unity to test their beliefs and desires by engaging directly and calmly with the arguments of the other side.
Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain
by Andy Burnham & Steve Rotheram (Trapeze/Hachette, 7 March 2024)
This one just slips under the wire, as it was published in 2024. But it merits inclusion on this year’s list as it offers a very good insight into the thinking and the philosophy of the U.K.’s newest (or should that be latest) Prime Minister. This book also makes the list as I was at the Feb 2025 IIEA lunch and meeting when the authors, Burnham and Rotheram, Labour mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region explained how the over-centralisation of power and authority is Westminster is at the root of British inequality.
Can Burnham change this as Prime Minister? We is off to a good start with his premiership being notable for its actions, not its pronouncements… but it’s early days. We shall see, but it will be worth watching, especially after reading this
Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump
by Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan (Simon & Schuster, 23 June 2026)
After seeing and hearing so many interviews with the authors on TV, radio, podcast and online I began to wonder if there were any nuggets of information or analysis left to be gleaned from reading the book itself. The good news is that there are… and that Regime Change, the definitive account of the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency, is well worth reading.
It initially seemed that Trump was managing to keep everyone on his team on message during his second term, both on and off the record. But that impression was short lived. Authors Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman have found countless Trump administration insiders willing to speak anonymously and chronicle the daily chaos and graft involving Trump, and his immediate family. They also highlight the dangers of Unitary Executive Theory, the constitutional interpretation favoured by and Trump Maga that claims the President has absolute, unchecked authority over the entire executive branch and all federal agencies. A must read as we count down to the US mid-term elections and the even greater chaos that might stem from Maga/GOP losses.
A Rebel and a Traitor: A Fugitive, the Manhunt and the Birth of the IRA
by Rory Carroll (Mudlark/HarperCollins, March 2026)
At the grave risk of being unfair to other books on this list, Rory Carroll’s account of Roger Casement is easily the most thrilling and enjoyable read. It is a page turner. A piece of well researched non-fiction that reads like the best fiction.
Carroll tells Casement’s story, particularly his later life as an Irish rebel, as a duel between competing visions of Empire versus Statehood and between two very determined and driven men. Impulsive British spy chief, Reginald ‘Blinker’ Hall, staunch defender of Empire and Casement, the decorated diplomat who rejected that Empire. The tactics deployed by Hall and the British establishment, surveillance, disinformation and the destruction of personal reputation are just as recognisable today.
Charlie Vs Garret: The rivalry that shaped modern Ireland
by Eoin O’Malley (Eriu Sept 2025)
Earlier in this list I mentioned that my standout winner for political book was Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir and that the best read on the list was Casement: A Rebel and a Traitor. The book that seriously challenges both claims (in one) is Eoin O’Malley’s Charlie Vs Garret. It is as pacey and entertaining a read as Casement, while offering the same depth and richness of practical political advice as Lemass. Not least the perils of allowing a personal rivalry to define or constrain you by letting that contest define your politics in contrast to theirs.
O’Malley has the academic rigour coupled with the personal proximity to offer an account that conveys how pivotal both Haughey and Fitzgerald were to over a decade of our political life while being scrupulously fair to both He avoids the often one-dimensional portrayals (esp of CJH) beloved of some commentators, and gives us a picture of two great, but flawed political titans.
The Shock of Political Scandal: Power Strategies in the Transmedia Era
by Braulio González, 2026
While the intended audience for this book is a bit niche, geared as it is for political comms folks, it can also serve as a handy companion for anyone interested in how today’s political scandals reshape leaders and governments. The author, a noted south American crisis management strategist, Braulio González sets out various actionable strategies using lessons from a wide range of campaigns and case studies. He offers strategic models for managing political scandals, including some additional classifications that go beyond the traditional sex, corruption and power categories.
Some honourable mentions:
These are a few books that didn’t make the cut, but should also be considered as a valuable political read.
Genocide: Sponsoring the Destruction of Palestine by Fintan Drury (Merrion Press, 18 June 2026)
Beyond Generation Rent: Political Economy, Inequality and the Private Rental Sector by Michael Byrne (Polity Press, 16 January 2026)
After Nations: The Making and Unmaking of a World Order by Rana Dasgupta (William Collins, 26 February 2026)
The Irish Presidency: Power, Ceremony and Politics edited by John Coakley & Kevin Rafter (Palgrave, May 2026)
Rory O’Connor: To Defend the Republic by Gerard Shannon (Merrion Press, 12 February 2026)
And finally… the one that didn’t even make the shortlist… this is the book I referenced in my remarks on Eoghan Murphy’s Running from Office book: Speaking My Mind by Leo Varadkar. It is disappointingly light on insight.
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