Is ó chontae Mhaigh Eo do Cholmán agus tá cáil air mar scríbhneoir, mar fhoilsitheoir agus mar mhúinteoir. Nuair a bhí sé mar mhúinteoir scoile rinne sé, i gcomhar le Telegael, na cúrsaí Gaeilge Muzzy a chur ar fáil do bhunscoileanna agus scríobh sé go leor drámaí do pháistí scoile freisin a ghnóthaigh duaiseanna Slógadh.

I 1995 bhunaigh Colmán Cló Mhaigh Eo chun leabhair Ghaeilge nua-aimseartha a chur ar fáil do pháistí agus do dhaoine óga. Tá leabhair le breis agus 20 údar Éireannach foilsithe aige ó shin. I measc na bhfoilseachán uaidh féin tá an tsraith iomráiteach leabhar faoin gcarachtar, Ruairí. Ghnóthaigh Drochlá Ruairí Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin i 1997. Tá leabhair bunaithe ar fhinscéalta ar nós Cearc an Phrompa agus Píobaire Hamelin scríofa aige freisin. Foilsíodh cúig leabhar leis ag an nGúm, úrscéal do dhaoine óga faoin ngorta mór dar teideal Éalú san Oíche, agus ceithre phictiúrleabhair eile, Róisín ar Strae ina measc.

I 2002 foilsíodh an t-úrscéal An Sclábhaí, a ghnóthaigh Duais Bisto. Insint úr shamhlaíoch ar ghabháil agus éalú Naomh Pádraic atá ann. Tá An Tóraíocht (2003), An Teachtaire (2004), An Táin (2006) agus Deirdre agus Mic Uisnigh (2008) scríofa aige freisin.

Ghnóthaigh sé duais Bisto arís i 2003 agus duaiseanna aitheantais Chumann Léitheoireachta na hÉireann agus an Oireachtais i 2003 agus 2004 faoi seach. Bronnadh duais Leabhar na Bliana air ag Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2006 do An Táin agus i 2012 bhronn LPÉ (Children’s Books Ireland) Duais Speisialta air as a shaothar don oíge.

Foilsíodh a úrscéal Strainseirí i 2008 agus leagan nua dá úrscéeal faoin nGorta Mór, Éalú san Oíche, i 2012. Sa bhliain chéanna chóirigh se An Béal Bocht le foilsiú mar úrscéal grafach a thuill ard-mholadh.

Bronnadh Gradam Reics Carlo ar Chló Mhaigh Eo sa bhliain 2013 don úrscéal grafach Gráinne Mhaol le Gisela Pizatto.

Colmán Ó Raghallaigh is the author of many books in Irish for children and young people, including the award winning Ruairí series (Cló Mhaigh Eo), the best-selling Róisín ar Strae (An Gúm 1996) and a highly successful series of graphic novels. His best-selling book, Drochlá Ruairí, was the first children's book by an Irish author to be published on CD rom in either Irish or English. A number of his books have been published in the Japanese and Manx languages.

A schoolteacher by profession, he has a particular interest in Irish history and mythology. In 1996 he set up Cló Mhaigh Eo to publish high-quality books in Irish.

As well as Bisto Merit Awards in 2002 and 2003, he has received Special Merit awards from the Reading Association of Ireland and the Oireachtas in 2003 and 2004 respectively. At Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2006 he was presented with the Book of the Year award for young people by playwright, Brian Friel, for his graphic novel An Táin. A companion volume “Deirdre” was published in 2008.

In 2012 Children’s Books Ireland presented him with a special award to mark his contribution to children’s literature in Ireland.

His novel, STRAINSEIRÍ, about the issue of the “travelling people” in Ireland, was published in 2008 while a new edition of his popular novel about the Famine, Éalú san Oíche, was published in October 2012.

His new adaptation of Myles na gCopaleen’s famed satire An Béal Bocht was published as a graphic novel by Cló Mhaigh Eo in December 2012.

In December 2013 another graphic novel from Cló Mhaigh Eo, Gráinne Mhaol by Gisela Pizatto, was awarded the Irish language Book of the Year for young people.