Ruadh Butler is a historical fiction author from Tyrone in Northern Ireland. A long-time fan of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow, Giles Kristian, and Patrick O'Brien, he began writing his first book during his lunchtime while working at a newspaper. His first novel, Swordland, based on the little-known events of the Welsh-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, was published in February 2016 and has been followed by the sequels, Lord of the Sea Castle in 2017 and The Earl Strongbow in 2018. He is currently working on part four of the series, Usurper King, as well as a murder mystery set in Ireland in 1901 called A Spy Manqué.