Kathleen MacMahon

Kathleen MacMahon is a radio and television journalist who worked with Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, before becoming a best-selling author.

Born in Dublin, MacMahon is the granddaughter of writer Mary Lavin and the niece of Caroline Walsh, the literary editor of the Irish Times.Her father was Des MacMahon and her mother Valdi Lavin, who died in November 2010. MacMahon has a brother and sister, Kevin and Meg. MacMahon attended Mount Anville Secondary School in Dublin after her family returned to Ireland from Nicaragua and Brazil.

She worked for RTÉ as a radio and television journalist for 15 years before getting her first book published. While working for Morning Ireland MacMahon won a National Media Award for News and Current Affairs. Five of her years in radio were spent reporting for the RTÉ News at One programme. She made the news herself when the publisher Little, Brown paid £600,000 for the English rights of her first two books.

The first book has been translated into 20 languages and was shortlisted for a number of awards including the Kerry Group Irish Book of the Year award, two Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards and the RTÉ Liveline listener’s poll for Book of the Year 2012. Her second book has been a Richard and Judy choice in the UK.

MacMahon lives in Irishtown, Dublin with her husband Mark and their twin daughters.