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]
