Eric Cross was born in Newry, County Down, though reared and educated in England. His career as a chemical engineer spanned the invention of synthetic marble and the making of knitting needles from bicycle spokes. He is known for a book of short stories, The Taylor and Ansty, which was published in 1942 and was banned by the Irish Censorship Board for twenty years after its publication. Another collection, Silence is Golden, was published in 1978. He wrote for RTE and BBC.