Conal Holmes O'Connell O'Riordan (pseudonym Norreys Connell) (29 April 1874 - 18 June 1948) was an Irish dramatist and novelist.

He was born in Dublin and educated at Clongowes Wood College

Clongowes Wood College

Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...

 and Belvedere College

Belvedere College

Belvedere College SJ is a private secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street, Dublin, Ireland. It is also known as St. Francis Xavier's College....

. He had intended a military career until he suffered a spinal injury in a fall from a horse He moved to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 at the age of 16 to pursue a career as an actor and dramatist. His first book was In the Green Park (1894). Later novels include the ‘Adam’ trilogy, beginning with Adam of Dublin (1920); and the ‘Soldier’ series, including Soldier Born (1927), Soldier of Waterloo (1928), and Soldier's End (1938).

He succeeded John Millington Synge

John Millington Synge

Edmund John Millington Synge was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival and was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre...

 as director of the Abbey Theatre

Abbey Theatre

The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...

, Dublin from 1909 to 1915. His plays include Rope Enough (1913), His Majesty's Pleasure (1925), and The King's Wooing (1929).

Novels

His novels include:

• In the Green Park or The Half-Pay Deities (1894)
• The House of the Strange Woman (1895)
• The Fool and His Heart (1896)
• The Pity of War (1906)
• Adam of Dublin (1920)
• Adam and Caroline (1921)
• In London: The Story of Adam and Marriage (1922)
• Rowena Barnes (1923)
• Married Life (1924)
• The Age of Miracles (1925)
• Young Lady Drazincourt (1925)
• Soldier Born (1927)
• Soldier of Waterloo (1928)
• Soldier’s Wife (1935)
• Soldier's End (1938)
• Judith Quinn, a Novel for Women (1939)
• Judith’s Love (1940)

Play

His plays include:

• Rope Enough (1913)
• His Majesty's Pleasure (1925)
• Napoleon’s Josephine (1928)
• The King's Wooing (1929)