Sebastian Barry

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Sebastian Barry (born 5 July 1955 in Dublin) is an Irish playwright, novelist, and poet. He is the son of Francis Barry and Irish actress Joan O'Hara.

Barry wrote The Steward of Christendom and The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty, both of which are about the dislocations (physical and otherwise) of non-nationalist or loyal British Irish people during the political upheavals of the early 20th century. The character of Eneas McNulty, for instance, is a young man forced to leave Ireland by his former friends for his political beliefs during the Anglo-Irish War.

His novel A Long Long Way was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize. The novel tells the story of Willie Dunne, a young recruit to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during the First World War. It brings to life the divided loyalties that many Irish soldiers felt at the time following the Easter Rising in 1916.

A Long Long Way was also selected for Dublin: One City, One Book 2007, an initiative which promotes reading by encouraging everyone in the city to read the book during April.

Barry's maternal great-grandfather, James Dunne, provides the inspiration for the main character in his most internationally known play, The Steward of Christendom. The main character, named Thomas Dunne in the play, was the chief superintendent of the (unarmed) Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) from 1913-1922 and was loyal to the British Crown. He oversaw the area surrounding Dublin Castle until the Irish Free State takeover on 16 January 1922.