Eric Cross was born in 1905 in Newry, Co. Down, but he was raised and educated in England where he became a chemical engineer and inventor.
His book The Tailor and Ansty (with an introduction by Frank O’Connor, London, Chapman & Hall 1942, 1964/Cork, Mercier, 1970), was banned for a number of years and was the subject of a Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate) debate.
He also published Silence is Golden and Other Stories (Dublin, Poolebeg, 1978).
He died near Westport, County Mayo, in 1980.
Ireland: culture & religion, 1912-49
Review of New Theatre Production of The Tailor and Ansty starring Ronan Wilmot and Nuala Hayes
Theatre by the Lake
Eric Cross at The National Library of Ireland