Richard Murphy, born in County Mayo in 1927, spent five of his childhood years in Ceylon before being educated in Ireland and England.

His principal collections include Sailing to an Island (1963), The Battle of Aughrim (1968), High Island (1974), The Price of Stone (1985) and The Mirror Wall (1989).

Having lived for many years in the West of Ireland, he now divides his time between Dublin and Durban. He is a member of Aosdána. Granta published his memoirs in 2002.