Martin Dyar was born in County Sligo, Ireland, and raised in County Mayo. His debut book, Maiden Names (Arlen House, 2013), was a book of the year selection in the Guardian and The Irish Times and was the winner of the 2009 Patrick Kavanagh Award. His other honors include the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 2009, and the Strokestown International Poetry Award in 2001. He has received two Arts Council Literature Bursary Awards, the most recent in 2013.