Born in Dublin some time ago, Damian Corless stacked supermarket shelves, pumped petrol, taught schoolkids and failed to become a rock star before falling into journalism. He joined Hot Press on a Fas course and ended up staying for six years. He moved on to take the Editor’s seat at In Dublin, when it was good. He joined Magill as Stand-In Editor, later becoming Political Editor, Managing Editor and Former Editor.
He has written television comedy sketches for BBC2’s Big Train and RTE’s Stew. His acclaimed books include Loose Talk (Wolfhound 1995), GUBU Nation (Merlin 2003), That’s Ireland (with Michael Nugent, Blackwater, 2004) and Party Nation (Merllin 2007).
Published in 2010, his book The Greatest Bleeding Hearts Racket In The World (Gill & Macmillan) told the bizarre story of the mostly illegal super-lottery that was the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes. The Sunday Times described it as “a brilliant piece of forensic work”. The Mail On Sunday praised it as “fascinatingly readable”. The Sunday Business Post called it “most perspicacious”.
His latest book, You’ll Ruin Your Dinner, will be published by Hachette in late 2011. Stretching back to the start of the 20th Century, it records the Irish people’s love affair with sweets, chocolate and ice-cream. Expect the unexpected.
His new book The Greatest Bleeding Hearts Racket in the World(Gill and Macmillan) is about the Irish Hospital Sweeptakes scandal and was released in October 2010 and you can read more about it here.