Liam O'Flaherty (1896–1984) grew up off the west coast of Ireland on the Aran Islands. Many of his stories are set on the Aran Islands or in Dublin. O'Flaherty spent time in Dublin after a brief stint with the Irish Guards, which ended when he suffered severe shellshock. While in Dublin, O'Flaherty joined in the Irish struggle for independence. O'Flaherty's compassion for the common person is reflected in his psychological novels, including The Informer (1925), Famine (1937), and Insurrection (1951).