Malachy Doyle author page

Malachy Doyle biography

Malachy Doyle is a children’s author whose books range from picture books and traditional folk tales to novels for teenagers. Before becoming an author, he worked in advertising and taught children with special educational needs. He has published more than 100 children’s books with publishers in Britain and Ireland, and his work has been translated into 27 languages.

His collection Tales from Old Ireland (2000), illustrated by Niamh Sharkey and published by Barefoot Books, retells traditional Irish stories for children. His other picture books include The Dancing Tiger, which received a Nestlé Children’s Book Prize, and Owen and the Mountain, which was a runner-up for the Children’s Book Award.

Doyle has also written books introducing children to religious stories and celebrations. Rama and Sita: The Story of Diwali, illustrated by Christopher Corr, was published in a larger picture book format by Bloomsbury Education in October 2018. It retells the story of Rama’s search for Sita after she is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana, with help from Hanuman. The book includes additional factual information about Diwali. His other titles for Bloomsbury include The Miracle of Hanukkah and The Hound of Ulster.

For older readers, Doyle wrote Georgie, which won the English-language Tir na n-Og Award in 2002, and Who Is Jesse Flood?. His nonfiction picture book Cow received an English Association Award in 2002.

Doyle’s later books include the Molly series, illustrated by Andrew Whitson and published by Graffeg, with titles such as Molly and the Stormy Sea, Molly and the Whale and Molly and the Dolphins. His award-winning novel Georgie was republished by Firefly Press in March 2026 as part of its Children’s Classics from Wales collection.