Literature & Drama Editor Laura Kiely profiles the Irish-Senegalese author Leon Diop and chronicles his successes to date
Until now, the Irish literary landscape has been historically very white, reflecting the broader demographics of Ireland. However, increasing immigration since the 1990s has led to a growing multicultural society, calling upon this landscape to better represent a more diverse breadth of voices. Emerging on the scene in 2023, Leon Diop is a Black Irish author whose work has enriched the Irish literary terrain and opened up the discussion on the lack of Black Irish literature.
Diop was born in 1994 in Tallaght to a white Irish mother and a Senegalese father. Raised in Dublin, he advocates that he is “100% of everything – not half of each”. On the Talkanddo podcast with Thales Andrade, Diop relays how his father moved out of the house when he was very young and passed away when he was sixteen. He emphasised how this left him feeling “disconnected from [his] African heritage.” He further stressed how it felt “strange” growing up with a mixed-race complexion in a predominantly white household. He talks about growing up Black and Irish with a very limited Black Irish history and popular culture: “…There’s not a whole lot of history of black people in Ireland. There are some very high-profile figures like Paul McGrath and Phil Lynott […] but the history is still relatively very small.”
He attended Maynooth University where he studied psychology and served for two years as Student’s Union President. After university, he founded the non-profit organisation Black and Irish that strives to “advocate for the Black community in Ireland, build and connect all Black communities with wider Irish society and educate everyone in Ireland to adopt an anti-racist mindset.” Additionally, he runs a podcast with RTÉ under the same name.
Together with activist Briana Fitzsimons, Leon co-authored a children’s book titled Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers & Everyday Heroes. It was published in October of 2023 in conjunction with Ireland’s Black History Month celebrations. Harnessing a comic-book style, this non-fictional ode to Black Irish figures is the first-ever publication about Black Irish identity. It functions as a vibrant and educative treatise on the experience of being Black in Ireland; featuring gushing celebrations of prominent figures such as Emma Dabiri, Ruth Negga and Gavin Bazunu. The publication’s success garnered Black and Irish the 2023 ‘An Post Book Award’, establishing Diop as a well-respected author and ‘one to look out for’.
His next writing project, alongside the Black and Irish team, is set to be published in August of 2025. Similar to Legends and Trailblazers, it builds on Diop’s previous work. Black and Irish: Awesome Icons will chronicle the life stories of twelve notable Black Irish figures who are leaving their marks on the world today. These will include premier league footballer Chiedozie Ogbene, record-breaking Olympic sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke, and world champion Irish dancer Elliot Kwelele.
Diversity is a key factor in maintaining a meaningful and authentic voice in literature. Black and Irish is establishing that platform for young Black Irish people hoping to make a name for themselves on the literary scene.