The "Irish Times" Book of the Year 2006 - Tapa dura

There is something disconcerting about gazing into the eyes of a dead man. It is even more chilling knowing that the person staring back across more than 2,000 years was brutally murdered. And yet dead men have tales to tell, none more so than Clonycavan Man, who appears this morning both as he is now - as a preserved bog body - and also as he was as a young man in his prime in early Iron Age Ireland. - Dick Ahlstrom. "If you care about Ireland's prospects of avoiding the creation of a ghettoised society, if you care about the future of the European Union, if you care about democracy, you have to care about Irish Ferries." - Fintan O'Toole. "For the first time since 1993, and only the second time in its history, the Booker Prize for Fiction has been won by an Irish writer. John Banville was declared the winner last night in London of this year's Man Booker with his novel "The Sea"." - Eileen Battersby. "So is Haughey's legacy all black? No, of course not. But it is very, very dark in parts and we exacerbate the damage he did in corrupting politics and public life by not squaring up to it. By honouring him, as was done yesterday in the name of the people of Ireland, a signal was sent that the very great wrongs he committed were somehow not really all that serious." - Peter Murtagh. "The cheering began as soon as Darren arrived at the tee. And it grew and grew as he walked down the fairway. Perfect silence for the few minutes of play, then pandemonium again. Finally, the putt went in. The fans roared. For a moment, it seemed the golfer wasn't quite sure what was happening. He rubbed his eyes. Then suddenly, it all became too much. He embraced his caddy, and the tears came." - Miriam Lord.