Donal Ryan was born outside Nenagh, Tipperary. He is notable for his book The Spinning Heart, which was long listed for the Booker Prize in 2013, and won the Guardian First Book Award in the same year. He has been nominated for the Impac Literary Award this year, the largest literary prize in the world.

He studied civil engineering in Limerick Institute of Technology, later completing a law degree at the University of Limerick through a night course. He currently works for the National Employment Rights Authority. He is married and lives in Castletroy, Co. Limerick with his wife and two children.

Ryan's first two novels, The Spinning Heart and The Thing About December were between them rejected 47 times before they were finally accepted for publication. The Spinning Heart received very strong reviews and was long listed for the Booker Prize. The Thing about December, actually written before The Spinning Heart, was published in October 2013, and was also strongly reviewed, with John Boyne describing it as "a perfect companion piece to The Spinning Heart ".