Lane Ashfeldt was born in London and grew up in Dublin. Her first story collection is Saltwater (Dublin, Liberties Press, 2014). She lives in Wales. Lane Ashfeldt’s website Lane Ashfeldt at Twitter Lane Ashfeldt at Liberties Press Lane Ashfeldt on Arena RTÉ Lane Ashfeldt page at Amazon.co.uk
Colin Barrett was born in 1982 and grew up in County Mayo. His first collection is Young Skins (Dublin, The Stinging Fly, 2013). He was awarded the Penguin Ireland Prize in 2009, bursaries from the Arts Council in 2011 and 2013, and was shortlisted for Best Newcomer and Best Short Story categories of the Irish […]
Alannah Hopkin’s novels are A Joke Goes a Long Way in the Country (London, Hamish Hamilton/New York, Atheneum, 1982); and The Out-haul (London, Hamish Hamilton, 1985). Her non-fiction includes The Living Legend Of Saint Patrick (London, Grafton Books/New York, St Martin’s Press, 1989); Inside Cork (Cork, The Collins Press, 1991); Eating Scenery: West Cork, The […]
Niamh Boyce is from Athy, Co Kildare. Her debut novel is The Herbalist (Dublin, Penguin Ireland, 2013). She was awarded the Hennessy XO New Irish Writer of the Year 2012 for her poem Kitty, and has been shortlisted for the Francis McManus Short Story competition 2011, the Hennessy Literary Awards 2010, the Molly Keane Award […]
Patrick McCabe was born in Clones, Co Monaghan in 1955. He has published a children’s story, The Adventures of Shay Mouse (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1985), and the adult novels Music On Clinton Street (Raven, 1986); Carna (London, Aidan Ellis, 1989); The Butcher Boy (London, Picador, 1992), which was the winner of The Irish Times/Aer […]
Catherine Barry was born in 1963 in Dublin. Her novels are The House That Jack Built (London, Simon & Schuster, 2001); Null & Void (Simon & Schuster, 2002); and Skindeep (Simon & Schuster, 2004). Her non-fiction is Charlie & Me (Dublin, New Island books, 2011). She lives in Dublin. Catherine Barry on Facebook Catherine Barry: […]
Marie MacSweeney was born in Dublin of Kerry parents. Her poetry chapbooks are Mother Cecily’s Music Room (Belfast, Lapwing, 2005); and Flying During the Hours of Darkness (Lapwing, 2009), which includes her translation of Caoineadh Airt Úi Laoghaire. Her short stories are collected as Our Ordinary World and Other Stories (Victoria, Canada, Trafford Publishing, 2004). […]
Annemarie Neary was born in Co. Down. Her debut novel is A Parachute in the Lime Tree (Dublin, The History Press Ireland, 2012). Short story awards include the Bryan MacMahon award (Listowel Writers’ Week), prizes from Bridport and Fish, and the Columbia Journal contest in the US. A former lawyer, she lives in London. Annemarie […]
Ethel Rohan was born in Dublin. Her story collection is Cut Through the Bone (Seattle, WA, Dark Sky Books, 2010), which was long listed for The Story Prize. She has also published the chapbook Hard to Say (Houghton, MI, PANK, 2011). She lives in San Francisco. Uploaded by Ethel Rohan on 13 Dec 2011 Final, […]
Lisa Burkitt was born in the USA to Irish parents, and grew up in Donegal. Her debut novel is The Memory of Scent (Dublin/Gloucestershire, UK, The History Press, 2012). Her stories have been anthologised in the Faber Book of Best New Irish Short Stories (London, Faber & Faber, 2008); Queens Noir (New York, Akashic Books, […]
David Murphy was born in Cork. A science-fiction writer, his first collection of stories was published as Lost Notes (Aeon Press, Dublin, 2004), which won the inaugural Maurice Walsh Memorial Award in 2005. His novels are the Arkon Chronicles (Pennsylvania, Silver Lake Publishing, 2003); and Longevity City (Michigan, Five Star, 2005); and the novella Bird […]
Alex Hijmans was born in Heemskerk in Holland In 1975. He moved to Ireland when he was twenty years old and learned Irish as part of his degree in Celtic Studies, before spending a twelve year period in Galway working in various Irish-language media. His main literary works to date have been written and published […]
Mary Costello is originally from East Galway. Her first short story collection is The China Factory (Dublin, The Stinging Fly, 2012). She lives in Dublin. Mary Costello at The Stinging Fly The China Factory review by Anne Enright in The Guardian Mary Costello on Twitter Mary Costello at The National Library of Ireland
Gabrielle Alioth was born in 1955 in Basel, Switzerland, and emigrated to Ireland in 1984. Her novels are Der Narr ([The Fool], Zurich, Nagel & Kimche, 1990); Wie ein kostbarer Stein ([Like a Precious Stone)Nagel & Kimche, 1994); Die Arche der Frauen ([Women’s Arch] Nagel & Kimche, 1996); and Die stumme Reiterin ([The Silent Rider]Nagel […]
Carol Azadeh was born in Belfast in 1964. Her stories are collected as The Marriage at Antibes (Dublin, The Lilliput Press, 1999/New York, Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2000). She lives in the south of France. Carol Azadeh at The Lilliput Press Carol Azadeh at The National Library of Ireland Carol Azadeh’s books at Amazon.co.uk Carol […]
Ivy Bannister was born in New York City in 1951. Her short story collection is Magician (Dublin, Poolbeg Press, 1996). Many other stories have been published and broadcast, including What Big Teeth, filmed as Forgetting Aphrodite (2004). Her memoir is Blunt Trauma: After the Fall of Flight 111 (Dublin, Ashfield Press, 2005). Her plays have […]
Anne Barrett was born in Co Clare. Her first film, Spring Cleaning (Channel 4/RTÉ, 1986), received two international film awards, including Special Juror’s Award at the Cork film festival and was distributed in Scandanavia and mainland Europe. Her most recent feature script, Wild Horses, is the recipient of Irish Film Board and European Media 11 […]
Kevin Barry was born in Limerick in 1969. His story collections are There Are Little Kingdoms (Dublin, Stinging Fly Press, 2007), which featured as a book of the year in both The Sunday Tribune and The Irish Times and was awarded the 2007 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature; and Dark Lies the Island (London, Jonathan […]
Mary Beckett was born in Belfast in 1926. She began writing in her twenties, first for the BBC, and then for literary magazines. Her stories are collected as A Belfast Woman (Dublin, Poolbeg, 1980/New York, William Morrow, Beechtree Books, 1998); and A Literary Woman (London, Bloomsbury, 1990). Her novel is Give Them Stones (Bloomsbury, 1987/New […]
Brendan Behan (known in Irish as Breandán Ó Beacháin) was born in Dublin in 1923. He served in Borstal (juvenile prison) for his activities in the IRA, and his experiences formed the background for his most important work. His plays are The Quare Fellow (Dublin, The Pike Theatre, 1954/London, Theatre Royal, 1956[the famous production by […]
Gerard Beirne was born in 1962. His novels are The Eskimo in the Net (London, Marion Boyars, 2003); and Turtle (Ottawa, Oberon Press, 2009). His poetry collections are Digging My Own Grave (Dublin, The Dedalus Press, 1996); and Games of Chance – A Gambler’s Manual (Ottawa, Oberon Press, 2011). His short story, Sightings of Bono, […]
Sara Berkeley was born in Dublin in 1967. Her collections are Penn (Dublin, Raven Arts Press/Canada, Thistledown Press, 1986); Home Movie Nights (Raven Arts Press/Thistledown Press, 1989); Facts About Water, New and Selected Poems (Dublin, New Island Books/Canada, Thistledown Press/Newcastle Upon Tyne, Bloodaxe Books, 1994); Strawberry Thief (Oldcastle, Co Meath, The Gallery Press, 2005); and […]
Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin in 1940. Her story collections are Central Line (Dublin, Ward River Press, 1977/London, Quartet, 1978); Victoria Line (Ward River Press/Quartet, 1980); Dublin 4 (Ward River Press/London, Century, 1983); and The Lilac Bus (Ward River Press, 1984/Century, 1986). Her novels are Light A Penny Candle (London, Century, 1982/New York, Viking, […]
Pat Boran was born in Portlaoise in 1963. His poetry collections are The Unwound Clock (Dublin, The Dedalus Press, 1990), which won the Patrick Kavanagh Award; Familiar Things (Dedalus, 1993); The Shape of Water (Dedalus, 1996); As the Hand, the Glove (Dedalus, 2001); and New and Selected Poems, with an introduction by Dennis O’Driscoll (Cambridge, […]
Angela Bourke’s short story collection is By Salt Water, (Dublin, New Island Books, 1996). Her other books include Caoineadh na dTrí Muire (Baile Átha Cliath, An Clóchomhar, 1983); The Burning of Bridget Cleary (London, Pimlico, 1999); and Maeve Brennan: Homesick at The New Yorker (London, Jonathan Cape, 2004/New York, Counterpoint, 2005). She edited volumes 1v […]
John Boyne was born in Dublin in 1971. His first short story was published by the Sunday Tribune and shortlisted for a Hennessy Literary Award. His novels for both adults and children are The Thief of Time (London, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2000); The Congress of Rough Riders, a fictional recreation of the life of Buffalo […]
Elizabeth Bowen was born Elizabeth Dorothea Cole in Dublin in 1899, taking her literary name from the family home Bowen’s Court, in County Cork. Her novels include Encounters (London, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1923); The Hotel (London, Constable, 1927); The Last September (Constable, 1929); Friends and Relations (Constable, 1931); To the North (London, Gollancz, 1932); The […]
Clare Boylan was born in Dublin in 1948. She published four novels: Holy Pictures (London, Hamish Hamilton, 1993/ New York, Simon and Schuster 1983); Last Resorts (Hamish Hamilton, 1984 /Simon and Schuster, 1986); Black Baby (Hamish Hamilton, 1988 / New York, Doubleday 1989); Home Rule (Hamish Hamilton 1992). Her widely anthologised stories have been collected […]
James (Jimmy) Brennan was born in Dublin in 1944. He was a member of the Stanislavski Studio at Focus Theatre from 1967-1969. His novel is Seaman (Dublin, Irish Writers Co-Op,1978). His poems and stories have been published in Cyphers and the Irish Press. His one-act play was Blind Salad (Dublin, Focus Theatre, October 1979). He […]
Maeve Brennan was born in Dublin in 1917. Her father was Irish Ambassador to the United States and he brought his family there, including Maeve, in 1934. She settled in Manhattan and in 1949 joined the staff of the New Yorker, to which she contributed book reviews, fashion notes, essays and stories until 1973, when […]
Patricia Byrne was born in Mayo. Her narrative nonfiction is The Veiled Woman of Achill (Cork, The Collins Press, 2012). Her debut collection of poetry is Unstable Time (Belfast, Lapwing Press, 2009). She is also a writer of short stories, which have been anthologised. She lives in Limerick. Patricia Byrne’s website Patricia Byrne at The […]
Joyce Cary was born Arthur Joyce Lunel in Derry City in 1888, the family home being Castle Cary in Inishowen, Co Donegal. He settled in Oxford in 1920, having been wounded during World War I. His Novels include Aissa Saved (London, Ernest Benn 1932); An American Visitor (Ernest Benn 1933); The African Witch (London, Victor […]
Eileen Casey was born in the Midlands. Her debut poetry collection is Drinking the Colour Blue (Dublin, New Island Books, 2008). From Bone to Blossom (Dublin, Altents Publishing, 2011), a collaborative work with visual artist Emma Barone and featuring an introduction by Grace Wells, received support from Offaly County Council and South Dublin County Council. […]
William Carleton was born in Prillisk, Co Tyrone, in 1794 to small farmers, and was one of fourteen children. His father was fluent in Irish and English and was an accomplished story-teller, with, according to his son, an astonishing memory. His mother, Mary Kelly, was an accomplished singer in Irish, and was famous at wakes, […]
Patrick Chapman was born in Co Roscommon in 1968. His poetry collections are Jazztown (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1991); The New Pornography (Galway, Salmon, 1996); Breaking Hearts And Traffic Lights (The Cliffs of Moher, Salmon, 2007); and The Darwin Vampires (Salmon Poetry, 2010). His stories are collected as The Wow Signal, (Portishead, Bluechrome, 2007), and […]
Harry Clifton was born in Dublin in 1952. His poetry collections are The Walls of Carthage (Dublin, The Gallery Press, 1977); Office of the Salt Merchant (The Gallery Press, 1979); Comparative Lives (Oldcastle, Co Meath, The Gallery Press, 1982); The Liberal Cage(The Gallery Press, 1988), Night Train through the Brenner (The Gallery Press, 1996), The […]
Michael Collins was born in Limerick in 1964. His stories are collected as The Meat Eaters (London, Jonathan Cape, 1992) published in the US as The Man Who Dreamt of Lobsters (New York, Random House, 1993), which was cited as a New York Times Notable Book; and The Feminists Go Swimming (London, Pheonix House, 1996). […]
Evelyn Conlon was born in Monaghan in 1952. Her collections of short stories are My Head is Opening (Attic Press, 1987); Taking Scarlet as a Real Colour (Dublin, Attic Press 1989); and telling, new and selected stories (Belfast, The Blackstaff Press, 2000). Her novels are Stars in the Daytime (Belfast, The Blackstaff Press/London, The Women’s […]
Shane Connaughton was born in Cavan in 1941. He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and has acted in several plays and films. He has published a collection of short stories, A Border Station (London, St Martin’s Press, 1989), for which he was short listed for the GPA Literary Award; […]
John Connolly was born in Dublin in 1968. His novels are Every Dead Thing (London, Hodder & Stoughton, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1999), Winner of the Shamus Award for Best First Novel, 1999; Dark Hollow (Hodder & Stoughton, 2000); The Killing Kind (Hodder & Stoughton, 2001/New York, Atria, 2001); The White Road (Hodder & […]
Emma Cooke was born in Portarlington, Co Laois, in 1934, christened Enid Blanc. The Blancs, of Hugenot descent, are immortalised in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake as ‘‘Blong’s best from Portarlinton’s Butchery.’’ Her short stories are collected as Female Forms (Dublin, Poolebeg Press, 1986). Her novels are A Single Sensation (Poolebeg Press, 1979); Eve’s Apple (Belfast, […]
Michael Corrigan was born in San Francisco in 1942. His books are a memoir, Confessions of a Shanty Irishman (New York, Publish America, 2002); The Irish Connection and Other Stories (Publish America, 2004); Byron (Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, 2005); The Filmmakers (Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, 2008); and A Year and a Day (Idaho University Press, 2008). He has also […]
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 […]
Leo Cullen was born in Tipperary in 1949. He has published a collection of short stories, Clocking Ninety on the Road to Cloughjordan (Belfast, Blackstaff Press, 1994/Dufour, 1995); and a novel, Let’s Twist Again (Blackstaff Press, 2001). His awards include the Ireland & UK section of David Wong Pen International short story competition, 2003. His […]
John F. Deane was born on Achill Island in 1943. His poetry collections are Stalking After Time (Dublin, Profile Press, 1977); High Sacrifice (Dublin, Dedalus Press, 1981); Winter in Meath (Dedalus Press, 1984); Road with Cypress and Star (Dedalus Press, 1988); The Stylized City, Selected and New Poems (Dedalus Press, 1991); Walking on Water (Dedalus […]
Anne Devlin was born in Belfast in 1951. She won the Hennessy Literary Award in 1982 for her short story Passages, which was adapted for television as A Woman Calling. Her plays, Ourselves Alone, includes A Woman Calling and The Long March and have been collected as Ourselves Alone (Faber & Faber, 1986). She has […]
Martina Devlin was born in Omagh, Co Tyrone. Her novels are Three Wise Men (London, Harper Collins, 2000); Be Careful What You Wish For (Harper Collins, 2001); Venus Reborn (Dublin, Poolebeg, 2003); Temptation (Poolebeg Press, 2004); and Ship of Dreams (Poolebeg, 2007). Her non-fiction includes the autobiographical The Hollow Heart: The True Story of How […]
Emma Donoghue was born in Dublin in 1969. Her novels are Stirfry (London, Hamish Hamilton, 1994/New York: HarperCollins, 1994); Hood (Hamish Hamilton, 1995); Slammerkin (London, Virago, 2000/New York, Harcourt, 2000); The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits (Virago, 2002/ Harcourt, 2002); Life Mask (Harcourt/Virago, 2004); Landing, (New York, Harcourt, 2007); Room (London, Picador/New York, Little, […]
Gerard Donovan born in Wexford and grew up in Galway. His collections are Columbus Rides Again (The Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare, Salmon, 1992); Kings and Bicycles (Salmon, 1995); and The LightHouse (Salmon, 2000), which was short listed for the Irish Times Literature Prize. His novels are Schopenhauer’s Telescope (New York, Perseus Publishing/London, Scribner, 2003), […]
Christine Dwyer Hickey was born in Dublin. Her novels are The Dancer (Dublin, Marino Books, 1995), short-listed for the Kerry Ingredients/Listowel Writers’ Week Book of the Year the Year Award; The Gambler (Marino, 1996); and The Gatemaker (Marino, 2000), which comprise The Dublin Trilogy (re-issued by New Island Books); Tatty (Dublin, New Island Books, 2004/London, […]
Anne Enright was born in Dublin in 1962. She has published two collections of stories, The Portable Virgin (London, Secker and Warburg 1991), which won the Rooney Prize that year; and Taking Pictures (London, Jonathan Cape, 2008), both collected as Yesterday’s Weather (New York, Grove Press, 2008). Her novels are The Wig My Father Wore, […]
Brian Friel was born in Co Tyrone in 1929. His short story collections are A Saucer of Larks (London, Gollancz, 1962) and The Gold in the Sea (Gollancz 1966). He has edited The Last of the Name (Memoirs of a Donegal Tailor). His plays are This Doubtful Paradise (1959) The Enemy Within (Dublin, Abbey Theatre, […]
Maeve Friel was born in Derry in 1950. A prolific writer for children, The books in her Witch in Training series are Witch in Training – Spelling Trouble (London, Harper Collins 2003); Witch in Training – Charming or What (London, Harper Collins 2003); Witch in Training – Brewing Up, (London, Harper Collins 2003); Witch in […]
Karen Gillece was born in Dublin in 1974. Her novels are Seven Nights In Zaragoza (Dublin, Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005); Longshore Drift (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2006); My Glass Heart (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2007); and The Absent Wife (Hachette Books Ireland, 2008). Her short stories have appeared in Moments: Irish Women Writers In Aid Of The […]
Anthony Glavin was born in Boston in 1946 of Irish heritage. He has been editor of New Irish Writing (1987-88) and more latterly former Commissioning Editor of New Island Books. His novel is Nighthawk Alley (Dublin, New Island Books, 1997). Widely anthologized, his story collections are One For Sorrow (Dublin, Poolebeg, 1980); and The Draughtsman […]
Bridget O’Connor was born in Harrow, London. She was the second of five children of Bridie and Jim O’Connor, from Limerick and Cork. Her short story collections are Here Comes John (1993) and Tell Her You Love Her (1997), which were translated into several languages, including Serbo-Croat. Her story A Woman’s Hair was included in […]
Julia O’Faolain was born in London in 1932 to the writer Sean O’Faolain and children’s writer Eileen O’Faolain (née Gould). Her works include the short story collections We Might See Sights! and Other Stories (London, Faber & Faber, 1968); Man in the Cellar (Faber & Faber, 1974); and Daughters of Passion (London, Penguin, 1982). Her […]
Hugo Hamilton was born in Dublin of Irish-German parentage. His novels are Surrogate City (London, Faber & Faber,1990); The Last Shot (Faber & Faber, 1991); The Love Test (Faber & Faber, 1995); Headbanger (London, Secker & Warburg, 1996); Sad Bastard (Secker & Warburg, 1998); Disguise (London, Fourth Estate, 2008); Hand in the Fire (Fourth Estate, […]
Although he claimed to have been born in Cork, Gerald Hanley was born in Liverpool in 1916, of an Irish family, but went to Africa when he was 19, where he joined the British army on the outbreak of the Second World War. He saw service in Burma (Myanmar), and his first book, Monsoon Victory […]
James Hanley claimed he was born in Dublin on 3 September 1901, but was actually born in Liverpool in 1897 to Irish parents. His novel Boy was the subject of an obscenity charge in Manchester in early 1936 – to which his publishers pleaded guilty and were heavily fined. The book was withdrawn and all […]
