Donal Ryan
Ryan was born outside Nenagh, Tipperary in 1976. He holds a degree in law from the University of Limerick. He worked for the National Employment Rights Authority until April, 2014, when he became a full-time writer. He is married and lives in Castletroy, County Limerick with his wife and two children. His book The Spinning Heart was long listed for the Booker Prize in 2013 and won the Guardian First Book Award in the same year