Dermot Bolger founded and edited the Raven Arts Press, Dublin, from 1979 to 1992. He is one of Ireland's best loved and most prolific writers. His novels include Night Shift (Kerry, Brandon Books, 1982); The Woman's Daughter (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1987, revised and enlarged edition by Penguin, London 1991); The Journey Home (London, Viking, 1990); Father's Music (London, Flamingo, 1997); Temptation (Flamingo, 2000); The Valparaiso Voyage (Flamingo, 2001); and The Family on Paradise Pier (London, 4th Estate, 2005).

His plays include A Dublin Bloom, Blinded by the Light, (Dublin, The Abbey Theatre, Peacock stage, 1990); In High Germany (Dublin, The Gate Theatre,1990); The Holy Ground (The Gate Theatre, 1990); One Last White Horse (The Peacock, 1991) [Penguin Books, London, as A Dublin Quartet, 1992]; Greatest Hits: One Act Plays (New Island Books, 1997); The Passion of Jerome (The Peacock, 1999; Methuen, London, 1999) and From These Green Heights (New Island, 2005). In 2010, he is publishing a collection of three plays about Ballymun, The Ballymun Trilogy (New Island).

His poetry collections include The Habit of Flesh, 1980; Finglas Lilies, 1981; and No Waiting America, 1982; all published by Raven Arts Press; Internal Exiles, (Dublin, Dolmen, 1986); Leinster Street Ghosts (Raven Arts Press,1989); Taking My Letters Back: New and Selected Poems (Dublin, New Island Books, 1998); and The Chosen Moment (Dublin, New Island Books, 2004).

He has edited numerous books, including the seminal A Bright Wave/AnTonn Gheal (Raven Arts Press, 1989); Invisible Dublin (Raven Arts Press (1985); Ireland In Exile (New Island Books, 1993); Letters from The New Island (Raven Arts Press, 1995); Finbar's Hotel (New Island Books, 1997); its sequel, Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel (New Island, 1999); The Picador Book of Contemporary Irish Fiction (Picador, 1993); The New Hennessy Book of Irish Fiction (New Island, 2005) and most recently County Lines: A Portrait of Life in South Dublin County (New Island, 2006). He has also written an extended afterword to The Ledwidge Treasury and a play based on the poet's WWI experience, Walking the Road (New Island, 2007).

He has contributed to New Island's successful Open Door series.

Finally, he has written several film scripts. His numerous awards include the Samuel Beckett Award, 1990, ÆMemorial Award,1996; and The Stuart Parker BBC Award 1990. He is a member of Aosdána, and lives in Dublin.