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Dublin Live
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Amy Donohoe

Who is Sally Rooney? From Trinity days to best selling author, here is everything you need to know

The release of Conversations with Friends is only days away and fans of Normal People cannot wait to see another one of Sally Rooney’s adaptations come to life.

It's been two years since Normal People made its debut on BBC. The second Sally Rooney novel was a massive hit when the adaptation launched in 2020 with over 60 million streams.

People like Kourtney Kardashian watching the series about the Leaving Cert, CAO and the debs.

Read more: How to watch the Normal People series ahead of Conversations with Friends

Now Sally's first novel, which was released in 2017, is getting ready to launch on BBC Three and Hulu.

The second adaptation has a launch date of Sunday, May 15 with a star-studded cast list , including Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Joe Alwyn and Jemima Kirke.

But as fans prepare to tune in and follow another Sally Rooney adaptation, we want to know who she is, so here’s everything you need to know.

Sally Rooney (Getty Images)

Who is Sally Rooney?

Sally is an Irish author and screenwriter and so far, she has three novels published.

They include Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018), and Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021).

She also has a number of short stories including Mr Salary and After Eleanor Left.

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (Press Association Images)

What age is she?

Sally is 31 years old. She was born on 20 February 1991.

Where is she from?

Sally Rooney hails from Castlebar in County Mayo, even though she lived in Dublin and New York, Sally is a home bird and is settled in Mayo now.

Where did she go to college?

Sally went to Trinity College in Dublin’s City centre and studied English. She was elected a scholar in 2011.

She then went on to do a master's degree in politics there but opted out to focus on American literature instead. She graduated with an MA in 2013.

The novelist was a university debater and eventually became the top debater at the European Universities Debating Championships in 2013.

2013 was a big year for Sally as she completed the novel, Conversations with Friends, while studying. She wrote 100,000 words of the book in three months.

What age did she begin writing?

Sally grew up in a house surrounded by books. Both of her parents encouraged their daughter to bury her head in books.

The Irish author actually completed her first novel aged just 15.

Normal People BBC TV drama based on the Sally Rooney novel (BBC)

Does she have any political stances?

Sally describes herself as a Marxist and it’s fair to say that this is evident in the class discussions throughout all her work.

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