John McGahern (born November 12, 1934,Dublin, Ireland—died March 30, 2006, Dublin) was an Irish novelist and short-story writer known for his depictions of Irish men and women constricted and damaged by theconventions of their native land.

McGahern was the son of a policeman who had once been a member of theIrish Republican Army (IRA). While taking evening courses at University College (B.A., 1957) in Dublin, he worked as a teacher. His first publishednovel,The Barracks (1963), tells of a terminally ill, unhappily married woman. Praised for its brilliant depiction of Irish life and for its sensitive portrayal of despair, the work won several awards.The Dark (1965) is aclaustrophobic portrait of an adolescent trapped by predatory male relatives in a closed, repressed society. McGahern’s frank sexual portrayals in this novel earned the wrath of Irish censors, and he was asked not to return to his teaching job. His later novels includeThe Leavetaking (1974) andThe Pornographer (1979). Perhaps his most acclaimed work isAmongst Women (1990), which centres on a tyrannical father who was a former IRA leader; it was adapted into a popular television series (1998) for theBritish Broadcasting Corporation.That They May Face the Rising Sun (also published asBy the Lake) appeared in 2002.

McGahern is noted for his accomplished, effortless style and hiskeen observations of the human heart and of Irish society. His short stories, admired for their economy of structure and original style, are collected inNightlines (1970),Getting Through (1978),High Ground (1985), andThe Collected Stories (1993). McGahern also wrote anautobiography,Memoir (2005; also published asAll Will Be Well).