Early Years
John McGahern was one of Ireland's most famous writers in recent times. He wrote mainly about his childhood growing up in rural Ireland in the 1930s and 1940s.
Born in 1934, he was a native of Co. Leitrim, and spent much of his childhood in the parish of Aughawillan near Ballinamore. He lived there with his mother, who was the local primary school teacher.
When he was still a child, John's mother died after a long illness. This had a big effect on John, which can be seen in the stories he wrote as an adult. On his mother's death, John and the other children were sent to live with their father in Cootehall, Co. Roscommon. His father was the village Garda Sergeant. He was violent and mean towards his children.
Fame and Scandal
On graduating from University College Dublin, he began his career as a primary school teacher at Scoil Eoin Baiste (also known as Belgrove Boys' School) in Clontarf in Dublin. During this time, he wrote and published his first novel, The Barracks, in 1963. This story dealt with life in rural Ireland and was partly autobiographical, as the main character had to deal with a bullying father who was a Garda Sergeant.
John McGahern
Leitrim County Library
Leitrim County Library
His second novel, The Dark, was published in 1965. It was banned under the Censorship of Publications Act because of its risky themes. It was because of this that McGahern was fired from his teaching job and emigrated to England. He lived there for over a decade and stopped writing during this time. He eventually returned to Ireland and settled on a small farm in Fenagh, Co. Leitrim, not far from where he grew up.