Michael Harding (born 1953) is an Irish writer.

Biography

Harding was born and raised in

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

, Ireland. He went to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, initially graduating as a lay graduate. He then taught for two years in St. Patrick's College in

Cavan Town Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Ball ...

, then worked as a social worker in a prison. He returned to Maynooth as a

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

and was ordained in 1980, after which he went to work in a parish in

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of al ...

. He left the priesthood in 1985,Michael P. Harding
- Biography. then spent seventeen years practising

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. He is married to the sculptor Cathy Carman (whom he first met in 1984) and they have a daughter Sophia and a son, Simon. He lives in Tarmon, County Leitrim.

Work

He is an active writer of novels and poetry. He is a regular columnist with ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

''. He was Writer in Association with

The Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

in 1993 and was Writer in Residence at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, in 1999.Michael Harding
, Irish Writers Online.

Publications

Novels

* ''Priest'' (1986) * ''The Trouble With Sarah Gullion'' (1988) * ''Bird in the Snow'' (2008)

Plays

* ''Strawboys'', Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1987 * ''Una Pooka'', Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1989 * ''Misogynist'', Abbey Theatre, 1990 * ''Burying Brian Boru'', Theatre Omnibus, 1990 * ''Where the Heart is'', Project Arts Centre, 1993 * ''Hubert Murray's Widow'', Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1993 * ''The Kiss'', Project Arts Centre, 1994 * ''Ceacht Houdini'', Amharclann de hIde, 1994 * ''Backsides to the Wind'', Red Kettle, 1995 * ''Sour Grapes'', Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1997 * ''Amazing Grace'', Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1998 * ''Bog Dances'', Steve Wickham and Shake the Spear Theatre @ Dunamaise Arts Centre, 2000 * ''Sleeping a Lovesong'', Project Arts Centre, 2002 * ''Talking Through His Hat'', Dublin Fringe Festival @ The Focus, 2002 * ''Swallow'', Gare St Lazare Players @ Dublin Fringe Festival, 2003 * ''Birdie Birdie'', for Blue Raincoat Theatre, 2004 * ''Tearmann for Siamsa Tire'', The National Folk Theatre of Ireland, 2006 * ''The Tinker's Curse'', Livin' Dred Theatre Company, 2007. * ''Is There Balm in Gilead?'' Pavilion Theatre Dublin, 2007

Other

* ''Staring at Lakes'' (winner of the Bord Gais Energy Book of the Year Award * ''Hanging with the Elephant'' * ''Talking with Strangers'' * ''On Tuesdays I'm a Buddhist'' (2017) * ''Chest Pain, A man, a stent and camper van'' (2019)

Awards

* 1989 - short listed for the ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary ...

Literature Award * 1990 -

Stewart Parker Trust Award The Stewart Parker Trust Award or Stewart Parker Prize is an annual Irish award for best Irish debut play. It is named in honour of Stewart Parker. There is a cash bursary as part of the award. Previous recipients of the award include: Gavin Kost ...

for Theatre * 1990 -

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

award for excellence in the arts * 1980 - Hennessy Literary Award for short stories * 2004 - Best Actor,

Dublin Fringe Festival The Dublin Fringe Festival is an annual curated arts festival in Dublin, Ireland focusing mainly on theatre. The festival allows artists to submit their work via an application which is subsequently reviewed by the programme manager. The festiva ...

for his performance in Gare St Lazare's production of ''Swallow''. * 2006 - Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role – British Theatre Management Awards * 2007 - ''The Tinker's Curse'', nominated for Best New Play at the ''Irish Times'' Irish Theatre Awards * 2013 - ''Staring at Lakes'', Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Irish Book Awards The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...

* 2000 - Member,

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

, Irish National Academy for Creative Artists

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Michael 1953 births Aosdána members Living people 20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights Irish male dramatists and playwrights Irish novelists Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Place of birth missing (living people) Laicized Roman Catholic priests Irish male novelists People from County Cavan 21st-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish male writers 21st-century Irish male writers