Education
He received his early education at Saint Michael"s College, Enniskillen. He holds a Bachelor(Honours) in English from the and a Diploma in Irish Language from the University of Ulster. In 2000, he was awarded an Master of Arts with Distinction in Creative Writing () and in 2004 a Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing both from Lancaster University.
He also holds an Master of Science in Neuropsychology from the University of Bristol and an Master of Arts in Literary Linguistics from the University of Nottingham.
