Shane Connaughton (born 4 April 1941 in

Kingscourt Kingscourt, historically known as Dunaree (), is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It is located near the Cavan– Meath border. The town was founded near the site of the old village of Cabra, by Mervyn Pratt, towards the end of the 18th century ...

, County CavanHogan, Sinead.
Shane Connaughton brings it all home to his beloved native county
''

The Anglo-Celt ''The Anglo-Celt'' () is a weekly local newspaper published every Thursday in Swellan, Cavan, Ireland, founded in 1846. It exclusively contains local news about Cavan and surroundings. The news coverage of the paper is mainly based on the pap ...

''. 4-29-2009.) is an Irish writer and actor, probably best known as co-writer of the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for ''

My Left Foot ''My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown'', also known simply as ''My Left Foot'', is a 1989 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan adapted by Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from the 1954 memoir of the same name by Christy ...

''.Welch, Robert, and Bruce Stewart.
The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1996. p. 112. He also co-wrote the screenplays for the Academy Award-winning 1980 short film ''

The Dollar Bottom ''The Dollar Bottom'' is a 1981 British short film directed by Roger Christian. It won an Oscar at the 53rd Academy Awards The 53rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored fi ...

'' and 1992 film '' The Playboys'', as well as other screenplays and plays. He won the Hennessy Award in 1985. Connaughton is the author of the books ''A Border Station'' (1989), ''The Run of the Country'' (1991), and ''Big Parts'' (2009). He adapted ''The Run of the Country'' for the screen in 1995 and published a book about its filming, ''A Border Diary'', the same year.How to Write--Meet the Writers: Shane Connaughton
'' BBC World Service''. ''A Border Station'', a short story collection, was a bestseller in Ireland and was shortlisted for the Guinness Peat Award.Milligan, Bryce
Crossing Irish borderlands into self-awareness
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

''. 4-7-1992. His first two books are both set in the County Cavan village of Redhills, where he grew up, and ''The Playboys'' and ''The Run of the Country'' were filmed there. Connaughton attended

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

and has worked as a theatre and film actor, appearing in '' Coronation Street'',

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...

's '' Four Days in July'',

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian ...

's '' The Miracle'', and ''The Playboys'', among other roles. Connaughton is married and has two children. He lives in London much of the time.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Connaughton, Shane 1941 births Living people Irish writers People from County Cavan Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Irish male film actors Irish male television actors