Clár Ní Chonghaile was born in London but grew up in An Spidéal, County Galway. She left Ireland aged 19 to join Reuters in London as a graduate trainee journalist. Clár has been a reporter and editor for 30 years, living and working in Spain, France, the Ivory Coast, Senegal and Kenya. She has worked for Reuters, The Associated Press, and the Guardian, among others.

She now lives in St Albans, England, with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel, Fractured, was published by Legend Press in 2016 and her second novel, Rain Falls on Everyone, was published in July 2017. Her third novel, The Reckoning, was published in October 2018, and her fourth, No Good Deed, was published in September 2023.