Rory Brennan grew up in Dublin and took a degree in literature from Trinity College. He has worked in education, broadcasting and arts administration and has lived for extended periods in Morocco and Greece. Travel in these and many other places is reflected in the vitality and range of his writing and prompted a Sunday Tribune reviewer to assert, 'Anyone impatient to find alternatives in Irish poetry will be interested in Rory Brennan.' His earlier work won the Patrick Kavanagh Award. The Old in Rapallo is his third collection.

Critical notice of his last book, The Walking Wounded, include:

'His observations are ungarnished and direct; his voice strong and welcome'. The Irish Times

'Density, sensitivity, paradox - I hope he builds on this achievement for his next book.' The Irish Literary Supplement

'His transitions from anecdote to narrative is managed with great calm and skill.' The Poetry Review

'Menace, foreboding, a sense of puzzlement ... produce memorable lines and an interesting and disturbing book.' The Sunday Press

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