Patrick Kealey, Writer
Patrick Kealey knew he wanted to be a storyteller from the age of six, when he discovered that a rich interior life was a lot more fun than everyday life.
He studied English Literature at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge and has worked as an actor and theatre director, producer, drama lecturer, workshop leader and playwright. His theatre work has taken him to America, France, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Colombia, as well as theatres and festivals throughout the UK and Ireland. He performs two solo shows, including the award-winning adaptation of The Life and Times of Archy and Mehitabel.
Patrick also worked as a tour guide all around Ireland for over twenty years and, somewhere along those winding Irish roads, Bogboy was born.
This is a true story in everything but the detail.
Media
Patrick’s recent appearance on The Write Away Afterparty on YouTube…
Latest Work
Bogboy
By Patrick Kealey
Published by Constellations Press
“Alfie O’Brien, soon to rename himself Bogboy, is born an orphan into a house of dead things, presided over by his imperious, ailing aunt. This is a place where the past won’t let the present go, where ghosts confer with the living, and where discovering who you are means coming face to face with some uncomfortable truths. It is a house cursed by shadows, secrets and dynasty.
While the wind blows in from the Atlantic across these Irish peatlands, old enmities bite down, and when Bogboy is left for dead, he must learn how to trust love, discover where he belongs, and reconcile himself with his destiny. The ancestors are gathering and Bogboy is about to become a man.
An audacious, rousing story of hope and beauty rising out of the dying embers of a corrupt and redundant regime, Bogboy is a story for our times, reminding us that attention to the natural world offers solace and healing, and that love – wherever we may find it – is always stronger than hatred.”
Buy on Constellations Press
Buy on Amazon
Bogboy Comes of Age
HIP Hastings Independent Press
September 11, 2025
Jill Glenn
Hastings-based writer and theatre director Patrick Kealey has turned his creative talents in a new direction this year – from stage to page. His debut novel, Bogboy, was published in May to early acclaim, and he’ll be sharing extracts and signing copies during this year’s Festival Fringe. A gripping, beautifully written page-turner, Bogboy has already been praised for its narrative depth and vivid storytelling.
Set against the evocative backdrop of 1970s Galway, Bogboy is a powerful coming-of-age story that explores identity, faith, and the search for self through the eyes of a teenage boy navigating his sexual and spiritual awakening.
Alfie O’Brien (‘Bogboy’) is orphaned at birth and raised by his aunt in a deeply traditional Irish society where Catholicism and social expectations loom large. As Alfie grapples with his emerging identity, the constraints of family, and his yearning for personal and sexual freedom, Kealey takes readers on an emotional, thought-provoking journey with universal resonance.
The novel is also a tender homage to the Irish landscape. Alfie finds solace in nature – the rugged Galway coastline, peatlands, and farmlands – and shares a symbolic bond with a hawk who guards his spirit. This shamanic thread adds a lyrical dimension to a story grounded in realism.
Kealey portrays Alfie’s emerging homosexuality with honesty and clarity. In his search for a love that is both intimate and expansive, Alfie begins to understand the bonds of family he once thought were out of reach.
Blending lyrical prose with unflinching emotional honesty, Kealey captures the essence of a time and place marked by social change. While offering a deeply personal meditation on belonging, Bogboy is lit from within by a generous wonder for the world and a profound compassion for human frailty and strength.
Testimonials
“A wonderful novel with such a heartfelt energy to it. Great characters, great story and a rough magic to its prose that really draws you into its world.”
— Jake Arnott, Author (The Long Firm Trilogy)
“Just finished Bogboy and I’m in absolute awe of your skill. I think it’s the best first novel I’ve ever read… I’m telling everyone I know they must read it… It has so many plus selling points. Congratulations.”
— Peter Scott-Presland, Director, Homo Promos
“A tender and heartrending story of Alphonse, Bogboy, a wild child free and at one with nature that surrounds his home… Beautiful poetic prose. Great characters. Plenty of emotion. A wonderful read.”
— Mary Walsh, Goodreads
“Warmest congratulations! I recommend Bogboy. I have enjoyed reading it. Patrick is a master of the English language. A real treat.”
— Milan Selj, Slovenian Poet, Tracing The Unspoken
“Finished Bogboy and want to tell you that I really enjoyed it. I found it beautifully written, gripping and instructive… One of my favourites this year.”
— Mel, Quillan
“Bogboy is a captivating tale written by a master storyteller. With his fine attention to the craft, Kealey weaves together a story of a boy’s growing up with characters that feel relatable and true. The breath-taking observations of the natural world seem to come from nature itself… An enjoyable and absorbing read.”
— Axel Forester, Author
Upcoming events
2 Tales of Childhood
Hastings Book Festival Fringe – Reading and Q & A
Polari At Hastings Book Festival – Featured author