Paula Meehan was born in Dublin in 1955, the eldest of six children. She subsequently moved to London with her parents where she attended St. Elizabeth's Primary School in
Kingston upon Thames. She then returned to Dublin with her family where she attended a number of primary schools finishing her primary education at the Central Model Girls' School off
Gardiner Street. She began her secondary education at St. Michael's Holy Faith Convent in
Finglas but was expelled for organising a protest march against the regime of the school. She studied for her
Intermediate Certificate on her own and then went to Whitehall House Senior College, a vocational school, to study for her
Leaving Certificate. Outside school, she was a member of a dance drama group, became involved in band culture and, around 1970, began to write lyrics. Gradually composing song lyrics would give way to writing poetry. At
Trinity College, Dublin, (1972–1977) she studied English, History and Classical Civilization, taking five years to complete her
Bachelor of Arts degree. This included one year off, spent travelling through Europe. While a student she was involved in street theatre and various kinds of performance. After college she travelled again, spending long stretches in Greece, Germany, Scotland and England. She was offered a teaching fellowship at
Eastern Washington University where she studied (1981–1983) with
James J. McAuley in a two-year programme which led to a
Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry.
Gary Snyder and
Carolyn Kizer were among the distinguished visiting writers to have a profound influence on her work and on her thought. She returned to Dublin in 1983. ==Work==