Brian O’Nolan was born in Strabane, County Tyrone. In 1927 his family moved to 4 Avoca Terrace where O’Nolan lived for more than 20 years. He attended Blackrock College and then University College Dublin. From a window of his house on Avoca Terrace, overlooking a green in front, O’Nolan wrote his first novel At Swim Two Birds. The main character was Dermot Trellis named after an old garden trellis that was used as legs to support his work - table. Although it was critically acclaimed a warehouse fire destroyed most of the first print run, resulting in only 256 copies selling in the first six months. At Swim Two Birds was re-released in 1961 and is
now recognised as a classic of Irish literature.
At Avoca Terrace O’Nolan began writing his hilarious Irish Times column Cruiskeen Lawn, which ran from 1940-1966. O’Nolan married in 1948 and then moved to 111 Mount Merrion Avenue. In 1960 the family moved to a modern bungalow in Waltersland, Stillorgan. During his time there A Hardlife and The Dalkey Archive were published. The Third Policeman and The Poor Mouth were published after his death in 1966.
Brian O’Nolan