The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

FORMER Republic of Ireland soccer international Paul McGrath and maverick author Patrick McCabe were among the winners at this year’s Irish Book Awards.

The event now in its second year took place last week at Trinity College Dublin.

The Irish Novel-of-the-Year award was awarded McCabe for Winterwood.

Two of McCabe’s works The Butcher Boy and Breakfast On Pluto have been made into films by Neil Jordan.

Irish Sports Book-of-the-Year went to Mc-Grath for his autobiography Back From The Brink.

The book lays bare the footballer’s difficult childhood spent in Dublin’s orphanages, the pain of two marriage break-ups, his battle with alcoholism and the struggle to cope with life after football.

The Popular Fiction Book-of-the-Year went to Should Have Got Off At Sydney Parade by Paul Howard aka Ross Carroll Kelly.

The Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award was posthumously awarded to John McGahern.