Mayo author in contention for prestigious Booker Prize

A 42-year-old writer who was brought up in Co. Mayo is the only Irish author on this year’s Booker Prize longlist.

Colin Barrett is one of 13 international authors in the running for the major award which is worth £50,000 to the winner.

Colin was born in Canada but brought up in Knockmore, Ballina.

His novel, Wild Houses, has been announced as one of the 13 contenders for the 2024 Booker Prize.

The judges called Wild Houses 'a propulsive, darkly comic and superlatively written account of frustration and misadventure in a small Irish town'.

Much of Colin Barrett’s work is set in the north Mayo area.

His debut short story collection, Young Skins (2013), won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Guardian First Book Award and the Frank O’Connor International Award.

A six-strong shortlist for the Booker Prize will be announced in September.

The overall winner will be announced in November at a ceremony in London.