Sebastian Barry

Sebastian Barry is an Irish novelist and playwright whose impeccable literary style and evocative portrayals of characters in the Irish diaspora have earned him critical acclaim both in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

A native of Co. Wicklow, Barry was born in 1955, one of four children. He grew up surrounded by strong literary influences. His father was a published author, poet and playwright, his mother a fine poet, and his grandmother wrote short stories.Although Barry was a voracious reader from a young age, he had no formal creative writing education, starting a business degree at Trinity College Dublin instead.

However, much of Barry’s unique voice and perspective comes from his formative years and experience of relocating to live with relatives in Sligo, Co Leitrim. This pilgrimage experience echoes throughout Barry’s works, often described as being odes to Irish identity, culture and past.

Barry’s first novel, TheWhereabouts of Eneas McNulty, was published in 1998 and won a number of prestigious literary awards including the 1998 Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year prize. This debut work set the tone for Barry’s style and themes as it follows a wandering Irishman in search of his identity.

This theme is also a recurring concept in Barry’s later works such as A Long Long Way (2005), winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and his most recent novel, The Secret Scripture (2008). Both books drove home the importance of Irish historical memory and identity amongst the Irish diaspora, wrapped in bold and lyrical Irish language.

Barry’s works have been translated into multiple languages and many have been adapted for theatre and film. In 2012, Barry was hosted by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney to receive the prestigious Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Over the years Barry has been nominated for 16 awards, and won 9, cementing his reputation as one of the most prolific and respected writers in Ireland and the U.K.

Arguably the crowning glory of Barry’s writing career came in 2019. Barry won the Costa Book of the Year award for Days Without End, his fourth novel set in early 19th century America. This critically acclaimed book tells the powerful story of a young Irish immigrant, Thomas McNulty and his tender but tragically ill-fated love affair with John Cole, The book is a testament to the beauty and power of Barry’s prose and his poet’s eye for detail, making him one of the greatest Irish authors of our time.

Today, Barry lives near Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow with his wife and children. He has written 12 novels, 7 stage plays, numerous children’s books and an autobiography and continues to maintain an active creative writing profile. With his deeply moving stories and vivid descriptions of characters, Sebastian Barry has undeniably secured his place as one of Ireland’s most celebrated literary figures.