Born in County Kildare, Mary studied Art at the National College in Dublin and University College Dublin. She then taught art, and exhibited, for eighteen years. She left teaching to write children's books fulltime in 1994. She won the Sunday Times/CWA Short Story Award in 1991: Hennessy Literary Award in 1993 and was shortlisted for the Bisto Award in 1994. In Germany, she won the International Youth Library (Munich) White Ravens title in 1996.

To visit Mary's website, please click the underlined link: Mary Arrigan.