Biography

Born in Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 to an English father and Irish mother, his family moved to Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 when he was a child. While still a school boy, Ó Sandair published a story in the first issue of the magazine Gael Óg in 1938. His first novel appeared in 1943 and featured Réics Carló, the most famous Irish language detective

Detective

A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...

. In addition to the many adventures of Réics Carló, Ó Sándair wrote a series of novels featuring the character Réamonn Óg. The third strand of his fiction centered on school adventures where boys and girls inevitably save the day. Ó Sándair is reputed to have published 160 books and sold more than 500,000 copies.

Partial bibliography

From the collection of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC [with Romanized spelling]:

• Buachaillí Chluain Éanna 1952)
• Cailíní Chluain Éanna agus fear an chlóca dhuibh (1954)
• An chathair seo 'gainne (1946)
• Cluain Éanna arís (1952)
• An corpán s trúnc (1944)
• Dúnṃharbhú i bpáirc an chrócaigh (1944)
• An gluaisteán sídhe (Baile Átha Cliath [Dublin]: Oifig an tSoláthair, 1945)
• Jacko agus scéalta eile (1944)
• An lá geal (1945)
• Mo chara, mo namhaid (Baile Átha Cliath [Dublin]: Oifig an tSoláthair, [1967])
• Réics Carló ar an ngealaigh (1950)
• Réics Carló ar dhá eachtra eile (1950)
• Réics Carló ar Oileán Mhanann (Baile Átha Cliath [Dublin]: Oifig an tSoláthair: Le ceannach ón Oifig Dhíolta Foilseachán Rialtais, 1984)
• Réics Carló san Aifric (1951)
• Réics Carló san Éigipt (1951)
• Soir ón Rio Grande (1949)
• Súile an fodhail (1946)
• An t-eiteallán do-fheicthe (1943)
• Triocha písa airgid (1943)
• Uathbhás i mBrugh na Bóinne (1944)