A memoir of his early life in Dublin, Goodbye to the Hill, was an instant bestseller and scandalised the country with its frank depiction of sex and alcohol.
[2] Dunne’s third novel, Paddy Maguire Is Dead (1972), a graphic account of an Irish man’s descent into alcoholism, was banned in Ireland.
Dunne appealed the decision of the Irish Censorship Board and was represented in court by barrister and future president of Ireland Mary Robinson.
After his appeal was rejected, he provocatively handed out free copies of his books to the public on Grafton Street, daring gardaí to arrest him.
His Harbour Hotel series, set in the fishing village of Kilmahon, tackled the moral questions of the day with humour and vivid storytelling.