Sebastian Barry facts for kids

Sebastian Barry is a well-known Irish writer. He writes novels, plays, and poems. From 2018 to 2021, he was named the Laureate for Irish Fiction. This is a special honor for writers in Ireland.

He has been nominated twice for the important Man Booker Prize. His novels A Long Long Way (2005) and The Secret Scripture (2008) were both shortlisted. The Secret Scripture won the 2008 Costa Book of the Year and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. In 2017, Barry won the Costa Book of the Year again for Days Without End. He was the first writer to win this award twice!

Early Life and Education

Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin, Ireland. His mother was a famous actress named Joan O'Hara. One of his grandfathers was part of the British Army. His other grandfather was a painter and a supporter of Irish independence.

Barry went to school at Catholic University School. He then studied English and Latin at Trinity College Dublin.

His Writing Career

Sebastian Barry has also taught writing at universities. He was an Honorary Fellow at the University of Iowa in 1984. He was also a visiting professor at Villanova University in 2006. From 1995 to 1996, he was a Writer Fellow at Trinity College, Dublin.

First Works

Barry's first novel was Macker's Garden in 1982. His first play, The Pentagonal Dream, was shown in Dublin in 1986. After that, he published several poetry books. He also wrote another novel, The Engine of Owl-Light, in 1987. His career as a playwright really took off in 1988. That's when his play Boss Grady's Boys was performed at the Abbey Theatre.

Famous Plays and Novels

One of Barry's most famous plays is The Steward of Christendom (1995). He got the idea for this play from his great-grandfather, James Dunne. In the play, the main character, Thomas Dunne, was a police chief in Dublin. He was in charge of the area around Dublin Castle until 1922. This play won several awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize.

Two of his works, The Steward of Christendom and the novel The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998), are about Irish people who supported Britain. They show how these people felt lost during the big political changes in Ireland in the early 1900s. The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is about a young man who has to leave Ireland.

His novel A Long Long Way was nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2005. It was also chosen for Dublin's 2007 One City One Book event. The story is about Willie Dunne, a young Irish soldier in World War I. It shows how Irish soldiers felt torn between their loyalty to Britain and the Easter Rising in 1916. Willie Dunne is also a character in The Steward of Christendom.

Barry's 2008 novel The Secret Scripture won many awards. These include the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Costa Book of the Year. It was also a strong contender for the 2008 Man Booker Prize.

His play Andersen's English was inspired by the children's writer Hans Christian Andersen. It's about Andersen visiting Charles Dickens and his family. Another play, Our Lady of Sligo, was directed by Max Stafford-Clark in 1998.

On Canaan's Side (2011) is Barry's fifth novel. It follows Lily Bere, who is Willie Dunne's sister and Thomas Dunne's daughter. She moves to the United States. This novel was also nominated for the 2011 Man Booker Prize. It won the 2012 Walter Scott Prize.

His next novel, The Temporary Gentleman (2014), is about Jack McNulty. He was an Irishman in the British army during World War II. In 1957, he writes his life story. Barry's novel Days Without End came out in 2016. It won the Costa Book of the Year in 2017. It also won the Walter Scott Prize and was nominated for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.

His 2023 novel, Old God’s Time, was nominated for the 2024 International Dublin Literary Award. It was also longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize.

Personal Life

Sebastian Barry lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. He lives there with his wife, Alison Deegan. She is an actress and screenwriter.

In 2001, Barry's writings and papers were collected at the Harry Ransom Center. This center is at the University of Texas in Austin. There are over 60 boxes of his work. They show his many different writings, including drawings, poems, stories, novels, and scripts.

Awards and Recognition

Sebastian Barry has received special honorary degrees from several universities. These include the University of East Anglia (2010), NUI Galway (2012), and the Open University (2014).

He also has an Alumni Award from Trinity College, Dublin. In 2022, he was made an honorary fellow of Trinity College.

List of Works

Poetry

• The Water Colourist (1983)
• The Rhetorical Town (1985)
• Fanny Hawke Goes to the Mainland Forever (1989)

Fiction

• Macker’s Garden (1982)
• The Engine of Owl-Light (1987)
• The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998)
• Annie Dunne (2002)
• A Long Long Way (2005)
• The Secret Scripture (2008)
• On Canaan's Side (2011)
• The Temporary Gentleman (2014)
• Days Without End (2016)
• A Thousand Moons (2020)
• Old God's Time (2023)

Plays

• The Pentagonal Dream (1986)
• Boss Grady's Boys (1988)
• Prayers of Sherkin (1990)
• White Woman Street (1992)
• The Only True History of Lizzie Finn (1995)
• The Steward of Christendom (1995)
• Our Lady of Sligo (1998)
• Hinterland (2002)
• Whistling Psyche (2004)
• Fred and Jane (2004)
• The Pride of Parnell Street (2008)
• Dallas Sweetman (2008)
• Tales of Ballycumber (2009)
• Andersen's English (2010)
• On Blueberry Hill (2017)