Seán
Mac Mathúna was born in Tralee, Co. Kerry in 1936. He
attended St. Brendan's, Killarney and later University College
Cork.
He spent many years as a post-primary teacher before he took
up writing fulltime in the mid-1980s. Short stories of Mac Mathuna's
were published regularly in English in The Irish Times, The
Irish Press, and in Irish in Comhar. His collection of short
stories Ding (Dublin: An Comhlacht Oideachais, 1983) established
Mac Mathúna as a gifted short story writer, remarkable
for his anarchic imagination and humour. The
Abbey Theatre produced The Winter Thief / Gadaí Géar
na Geamhoíche in 1992, four nights in English and two
in Irish per week with the same cast, a new departure for
theatre in Ireland.
Two literary interviews were
published in Comhar, October 1982 and October 1989.
The Arts Council nominated
The Atheist, an English collection (Wolfhound, 1987), for
the European Literary Prize. Although he was never a very
prolific writer, he was always recognised as having a special
talent and ability.
In 1999 Banana was published,
his second collection of Irish short stories. Banana won the
Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin / Irish Book
of the Year 1999.
An Taibhdhearc (Theatre)
in Galway produced his play Hulla Hul in 1999. |
Banana,
(Dublin: Cois Life, 1999)
Ceardlann 85, (Dublin: Coiscéim, 1988)
The Atheist and Other Stories, (Dublin: Wolfhound, 1987)
Ding agus Scéalta Eile, (Dublin: An Comhlacht Oideachais,
1983)
Blas, (Dublin: An Comhlacht Oideachais, 1979)
Ráfla, (Dublin: An Comhlacht Oideachais, 1978) |
