Liam O'Flaherty
1896-1984
Other Works
The Informer
Civil War
Famine
Irish Roots As a child, Liam O'Flaherty lived on one of the Aran Islands, an
isolated and stormy area off the west coast of Ireland. He was later educated
in Dublin, where he studied briefly for the Roman Catholic priesthood. After
leaving the seminary, he enrolled in a Dublin university. During World War
I, O'Flaherty left college to join the Irish Guards, a branch of the British
army. During a brutal combat in Belgium, he was badly shell-shocked and
forced to return home.
The Wanderer While still a young man, O'Flaherty set out on a series of
wanderings throughout the world. To pay for his travel, he worked at
various odd jobs, including that of seaman, miner, lumberjack, bellboy, and
bank clerk. He tried writing stories about his adventures, but no one wanted
to publish them.
Irish Republican In 1920, O'Flaherty finally returned to Ireland, where he
became involved with the Irish Republican Army. Like the sniper in the
story, he supported the Irish Republicans in their war against the Irish Free
Staters. In 1922, after taking part in a rebellion of unemployed workers, he
was forced to flee to England to avoid being imprisoned. In 1923, he
published his first story, "The Sniper," which is undoubtedly based, in part,
on O'Flaherty's own experience during Ireland's Civil War.
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