Author Christopher Nolan dies aged 43

The death of award-winning disabled author Christopher Nolan was announced today.

The 43-year-old from north Dublin died at Beaumont Hospital after he ingested food into his airways, said a family spokesman.

Nolan was physically disabled at birth and the only part of his body he could control was his head.

He wrote several acclaimed books using a pointer strapped to his forehead which painstakingly tapped out letters on a keyboard.

He published his first book 'Damburst of Dreams' when he was 15-years-old and won the Whitbread Book of the Year award in 1988 for 'Under the Eye of the Clock'.

Nolan spent the early years of his life in Mullingar and was later educated at Central Remedial Clinic School, Mount Temple Comprehensive School and at Trinity College, Dublin.

“Despite the severity of his Cerebral Palsy, Christy’s intellectual abilities were unimpaired, and loving words, he set out to become a writer,” said a statement released by his family.

“Using a pointer strapped to his head he wrote three novels and garnered many prestigious awards, among them The Whitbread Prize, for his work.

“Following the ingestion of some food into his airways yesterday, oxygen deprivation returned to take the life it had damaged more than 40 years ago.”

Mr Nolan received many awards during his lifetime including the Medal of Excellence from the United Nation’s Society of Writers and an honorary doctorate of letters by Lancaster University.

He was awarded The Sunday Independent – Irish Life Arts Award for Literature and the Person of the Year Award in 1988.

In 1999 Mr Nolan published his novel, 'The Banyan Tree'.

The writer is survived by his parents Joseph and Bernadette and his sister, Yvonne.

Arts Minister Martin Cullen paid tribute to Mr Nolan and said his passing was a great loss.

“We can draw inspiration from Christopher Nolan – with grace and courage, and with the support of his family, he never gave up and he never gave in,” said Mr Cullen.

“His bold creativity has ensured a written legacy which includes a volume of poetry and short stories and an illustrious Whitbread Book of the Year award for his autobiography 'Under the Eye of the Clock'.”

The minister extended his deepest sympathy to Mr Nolan’s parents and sister.