Derek Mahon was born November 23, 1941, in Belfast, Ireland, to a Protestant family. He attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institute before attending Trinity College (B.A., French, 1965) and the Sorbonne (1966). While at Trinity, he served as an editor for the Icarus literary journal and formed friendships with Irish authors such as Michael Longley, Eavan Bolan, and Brendan Kennelly.

Mahon became a member of the 1960s Northern Irish poets' group known as the "Northern Poets" or "Belfast Group” which included Philp Hosbaum and Seamus Heaney. His first volume of poetry, Twelve Poems, was published in 1965. Over the course of his career, he published over 20 volumes of poetry and nearly a dozen translations.

Mahon taught grade school in Belfast and Dublin before moving to London to work as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. He was a regular reviewer for The Irish Times and served as a writing fellow at both Trinity College and New York University. His many honors include membership in the Irish artists’ association, Aosdan; the Irish American Foundation Award; a Lannan Foundation Award; a Guggenheim Fellowship; the American Ireland Fund Literary Award; the Arts Council Bursary; the Eric Gregory Award; and the David Cohen Prize for Literature.

Sources:

Hogan, Robert, and Bowen, Zack R. Dictionary of Irish Literature. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996.