Based upon a notorious clerical scandal of Victorian Ireland, Thomas Kilroy’s anatomy of religious violence remains relevant and vital today
Thomas Kilroy
Thomas Kilroy wrote only one novel, The Big Chapel. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 1971 and won the 1971 Guardian Fiction Prize
Born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Kilroy wrote 15 plays. They include The Death and Resurrection of Mr Roche, The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde and The Shape of Metal. He has also written a number of adaptations of Chekhov, Ibsen, Pirandello and Wedekind. In the 2004 Irish Times Theatre Awards he received a Special Tribute Award for his contribution to theatre. In February 2008 he was presented with the PEN Ireland Cross Award for his contribution to literature. He died in December 2023.