Padraic O'Farrell (26 March 1932 – 6 November 2003) was an Irish book author, arts critic, playwright, historian, newspaper columnist, essayist, songwriter, theatrical director and theatrical producer.
[1] He married his wife Maureen in 1956 and they had four children: Aisling, Declan, Niamh and Noel.
O'Farrell's books bearing on Irish history include The Ernie O'Malley Story (1983), The Burning of Brinsley MacNamara (1990), about the controversy surrounding the publication of The Valley of the Squinting Windows; The Blacksmith of Ballinalee (1993), a biography of Sean Mac Eoin; the best-selling Rebel Heart (1996), a fictional account of Michael Collins's love affair with Kitty Kiernan; Who's Who in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War: 1916-23 (1997); and The '98 Reader: An Anthology of Song, Ballads, Prose and Poetry (1998), a collection of accounts of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
[1][2] He wrote scripts for leading Irish actresses Maureen Potter, Maureen Toal, Eileen Colgan and Anna Manahan, and, together with his wife, wrote, directed and produced dozens of plays and revues in County Westmeath.
[1][2] His touring theater company, Lyncairn Theatre, staged popular drama across Ireland.