Roy Earle

This article is about the Irish crossword compiler. For fictional characters named Roy Earle, see L.A. Noire, High Sierra (film), and I Died a Thousand Times.

Roy Earle is a former compiler of Crosaire, a cryptic crossword published daily in The Irish Times.

Roy Earle's sole predecessor was John Derek Crozier, under whose stewardship the crossword became enormously popular,[1] inspiring a daily leaderboard,[2] dedicated blogs[3][4] and a book.[5] Earle used the pseudonym Mac An Iarla, which is the Gaelicised form of his surname.[6] His first crossword appeared on Monday 24 October 2011.[7] Earle was selected to take over after Crozier's 68-year run due to his stewardship of a blog, written under the pen name William Ernest Butler, dedicated to Crosaire solutions.[8] He published the rationale behind each clue to the Crosaire Blog,[9] which has been integrated into the larger Irish Times website and is continued by his successor, "Crossheir."[10][11] His final Crosaire was published on 9 June 2012 after just over seven months on the job. Earle cited a change in personal circumstances as the reason for his retirement.[12] He was educated at Sandymount High School, University College Dublin and Sheffield University.[8] He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Paula and his two sons, David and Brian.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tributes flow as 'genius' crossword-setter dies". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  2. ^ "What are the leaderboard rules?". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ "The Irish Times Crosaire Blog ... unofficially!". Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Mark's Crosaire style crosswords". Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ^ Crozier, Derek (2009). Crosaire: 120 Crosswords from the Irish Times. O'Brien Press. ISBN 1-84717-183-4.
  6. ^ "Irish Ancestors/Surnames". Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Welcome to the Crosaire Blog". Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  8. ^ a b c "Carrying the Crossaire". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  9. ^ Earle, Roy. "The Crosaire Blog". Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Two months of being the new Crosaire". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  11. ^ Connor, Alan (31 October 2011). "Crossword Blog (Guardian.Co.UK)". Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  12. ^ Earle, Roy. "Explanations: No. 14802 – Saturday, 9 Jun 2012". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 January 2013.