Michael Harding

Michael Harding (born 1953) is an Irish writer.

Harding was born and raised in Cavan, Ireland. He went to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, initially graduating as a lay graduate. He then taught for two years in St. Patrick's College in Cavan Town, then worked as a social worker in a prison. He returned to Maynooth as a seminarian and was ordained in 1980, after which he went to work in a parish in Fermanagh. He left the priesthood in 1985,^[1] then spent seventeen years practising Buddhism.^{[citation needed]}

He is married to the sculptor Cathy Carman (whom he first met in 1984) and they have a daughter Sophia and a son, Simon. He lives in Tarmon, County Leitrim.^{[citation needed]}

He is an active writer of novels and poetry. He is a regular columnist with The Irish Times. He was Writer in Association with The Abbey Theatre in 1993 and was Writer in Residence at Trinity College Dublin, in 1999.^[2]

• Priest (1986)
• The Trouble With Sarah Gullion (1988)
• Bird in the Snow (2008)

• Strawboys, Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1987
• Una Pooka, Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1989
• Misogynist, Abbey Theatre, 1990
• Burying Brian Boru, Theatre Omnibus, 1990
• Where the Heart is, Project Arts Centre, 1993
• Hubert Murray's Widow, Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1993
• The Kiss, Project Arts Centre, 1994
• Ceacht Houdini, Amharclann de hIde, 1994
• Backsides to the Wind, Red Kettle, 1995
• Sour Grapes, Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1997
• Amazing Grace, Peacock Abbey Theatre, 1998
• Bog Dances, Steve Wickham and Shake the Spear Theatre @ Dunamaise Arts Centre, 2000
• Sleeping a Lovesong, Project Arts Centre, 2002
• Talking Through His Hat, Dublin Fringe Festival @ The Focus, 2002
• Swallow, Gare St Lazare Players @ Dublin Fringe Festival, 2003
• Birdie Birdie, for Blue Raincoat Theatre, 2004
• Tearmann for Siamsa Tire, The National Folk Theatre of Ireland, 2006
• The Tinker's Curse, Livin' Dred Theatre Company, 2007.
• Is There Balm in Gilead? Pavilion Theatre Dublin, 2007

• Staring at Lakes (winner of the Bord Gais Energy Book of the Year Award
• Hanging with the Elephant
• Talking with Strangers
• On Tuesdays I'm a Buddhist (2017)
• Chest Pain, A man, a stent and camper van (2019)

• 1989 - shortlisted for the Irish Times Aer Lingus Literature Award
• 1990 - Stewart Parker Trust Award for Theatre
• 1990 - Bank of Ireland RTÉ award for excellence in the arts
• 1980 - Hennessy Literary Award for short stories^[2]
• 2004 - Best Actor, Dublin Fringe Festival for his performance in Gare St Lazare's production of Swallow.
• 2006 - Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role – British Theatre Management Awards
• 2007 - The Tinker's Curse, nominated for Best New Play at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards
• 2013 - Staring at Lakes, Non-Fiction Book of the Year Irish Book Awards
• 2000 - Member, Aosdána, Irish National Academy for Creative Artists