Books by Sebastian Barry

It's the 1950s, and old Annie Dunne lives in County Wicklow, where the traditional way of life her family has known for ages is eroding. Among other imminent disasters, the small farm she owns with her cousin Sarah is threatened by Billy Kerr, who wants not only Sarah but the land. In the midst of her uncertainty, Annie's small great-niece and -nephew come to visit, and their presence leads to unexpected consequences in Annie's severely limited life.

From his grave in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral, Dallas Sweetman is called to give account. He tells a story of love and death, jealousy and miraculous happenings, of the divided loyalties of Protestants and Catholics in the Elizabethan Age. Dallas seeks to justify the actions of his life. But is he telling the truth?

Interweaves the stories of a petty chief and his storyteller a neurotic young man, a boy and his father, a journey across America, and dealings in Key West.

A scintillating collection of five plays from the last sixty years of Irish drama featuring work by Behan, Barry, Reid, Murphy, and McDonagh, and introduced by Patrick Lonergan.

Those familiar with the Irish poet, novelist, and playwright Sebastian Barry will recognize many of the characters and families in THE SECRET SCRIPTURE since his work frequently revolves around offshoots of the Dunnes, a Protestant Irish family profoundly impacted by the Irish Revolution. However, the reader need not know the background to appreciate the lyric haunting beauty of this novel, set mostly in an insane asylum where Roseanne Dunne has been locked away, forgotten, lost in dark memories of history and romance gone awry. The drama emerges as a psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, uncovers her story, and begins to unearth her secrets. A layered, poetic, and luminous work, THE SECRET SCRIPTURE was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2008.

Unable to find work in a depressed Ireland after World War I, Eneas McNulty joins the British-led police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary--a decision that alters the course of his life.