Conor O'Callaghan (born 1968) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
.
Biography
O'Callaghan was born in
Newry
Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry ...
in 1968 and grew up in
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
. His first novel, ''Nothing on Earth'', was published to acclaim in 2016 and was shortlisted for the
Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year. His second novel, ''We Are Not in the World'', appeared in February 2021. He has also published five collections of poetry. His memoir ''Red Mist: Roy Keane and the Football Civil War'' (2004) is an account of
Roy Keane's departure from the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
squad.
O'Callaghan is a former co-holder of the Heimbold Chair of Irish Studies at
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...
. He is currently a senior lecturer at
Lancaster University. He was awarded the 2007 Bess Hokin prize by ''
Poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
'' magazine.
He lives in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
with his wife, Mary Peace, a scholar of eighteenth century literature.
Fiction
*''Nothing on Earth'' (
Doubleday, 2016)
*''We Are Not in the World'' (
Doubleday, 2021)
Poetry
*''The History of Rain'' (
Gallery Press, 1993)
*''Seatown'' (Gallery Press, 1999)
*''Fiction'' (Gallery Press, 2005)
*''The Server Room'' (Smithereens Press, 2013)
*''The Sun King'' (Gallery Press, 2013)
*''Live Streaming'' (Gallery Press, 2017)
Non-fiction
*''Red Mist: Roy Keane and the Football Civil War'' (Bloomsbury, 2004)
References
External links
* Eileen Battersby
"Nothing on Earth by Conor O’Callaghan: an original story, brilliantly told"(review), ''Irish Times'', 28 May 2016.
* Justine Jordan
"Nothing on Earth by Conor O’Callaghan review – a disturbing, elusive debut" ''The Guardian'', 15 July 2016.
* Nina Allan
"The New Folk Horror: Recent Work by Sarah Hall, Conor O’Callaghan, and Malcolm Devlin" ''LA Review of Books'', 18 November 2017.
* Jarlath Killeen
"How Celtic Tiger’s death led to a Gothic revival" ''The Irish Times'', 28 April 2017.
* Mary Morrissy
"Nothing on Earth: a kind of ghost story on a ghost estate" ''The Irish Times'', 10 April 2017.
Conor O'Callaghan's pageat Wake Forest University Press
Conor O'Callaghan's pageat Poetry Foundation
at Smithereens Press
The Stinging Fly review of ''The Sun King''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocallaghan, Conor
Irish male poets
21st-century Irish poets
1968 births
Living people
21st-century Irish male writers