John Andrew Murray

I am originally from Belfast, now living in Dublin. I am an architect but have swapped the pencil and drawing board for a pen and keyboard.

I grew up in west Belfast, born in 1967, through the thick of ‘The Troubles’ having to go hungry for weeks on end when strikes were called or delivery drivers refused to enter the Falls Road. I joined a local running club and completed four marathons when I was fifteen and sixteen. I also had a window cleaning round at weekends which kept me off the streets. West Belfast was a warzone and rioting was commonplace. I witnessed violence on a daily basis but tried to keep out of trouble by drawing and writing poetry in my spare time.

I found work, after leaving school at sixteen, in an architect’s company in Belfast before moving to England to work and study. I became a chartered architect then moved back to Ireland in 1999, working for architecture firms and a development company. I continued to write and completed two plays and two books of poetry. I was short-listed for a play-writing competition run by a national theatre, finishing in second place.

After the financial crash, I moved into property management going from running a large architecture team to learning new skills in the commercial property industry. I opened my own architectural practice in 2016.

When my wife passed away in 2020, I travelled a lot and wound-down my architecture business. I set up a creative hub website for my art and created walking videos and photography from my travels; see jamtravelogue

I have always enjoyed writing and started my first book, Good Friday 1998, in 2023. I am currently editing the sequel, Good Friday 2018, which will launch soon. I also have a collection of poetry which I will also publish soon. Visit writing website, see jamwriter for of extra bits like location videos, news and links to some merchandise too.