O'Brien, Kate (1897–1974)

Irish novelist and playwright. Born in Limerick, O'Brien was educated at University College, Dublin, and worked as a journalist in London. Her first novel, Without My Cloak (1931), won Hawthornden and Tait Black Memorial prizes. The Ante-Room (1934) and The Last of Summer (1943), set in County Clare, contain shrewd pictures of the Irish temperament. Other novels are Mary Lavelle (1936), Pray for the Wanderer (1938), and That Lady (1946). Among her plays are The Bridge (1927) and The Schoolroom Window (1937). Farewell Spain (1937) is a travel book. Her later works include The Flower of May (1953), My Ireland (1962), and Presentation Parlour (1963).