Stephen McGarry

Stephen McGarry lives in Dublin, Ireland. He has lived in Belgium for many years where he explored the Continent's links to Irish history. This led to his fascination with the story of the 'forgotten' Irish military diaspora - fondly known as the 'Wild Geese' - who fought in many of the defining battles in the 18th and early 19th century under Napoleon.

He is the author of Irish Brigades Abroad, chosen as one of The Irish Times Best Books of 2014, and has contributed widely on the subject in a variety of national magazines, journals and newspapers.

For many years, he aspired to write a novel set during the Napoleonic Wars, drawing inspiration from the likes of Bernard Cornwell’s, C.S. Forester ‘s and Patrick O’Brian’s Napoleonic novels. However, there were to be key differences. The book was to be written, not from the British, but from the French point of view, and he also wanted to vividly portray the fragility of the novel’s protagonist. This culminated in Napoleon’s Blackguards, his first foray into historical fiction and the first novel written about the famed Irish Legion of Napoleon.