He lived variously in Cork, Santa Barbara, Barcelona, and Liverpool before settling in Sligo, purchasing and renovating a run-down Royal Irish Constabulary barracks.

Barry has described himself as "a raving egomaniac", one of those "monstrous creatures who are composed 99 percent of sheer, unadulterated ego" and "hugely insecure and desperate to be loved and I want my reader to adore me, to a disturbing, stalkerish degree.

[9] He confessed to "haunting bookshops and hiding" to "spy on the short fiction section and see if anyone's tempted by my sweet bait" and has also placed copies of his own work in front of books by other "upcoming" authors.

[15] The prize jury included Salim Bachi, Krista Kaer, Patrick McCabe, Kamila Shamsie, Clive Sinclair and Eugene R.

"[18] In November, 2015 Beatlebone won the £10,000 Goldsmiths Prize that aims to reward British and Irish fiction that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form.