Gerald Griffin (1803 - 1840) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet.

The son of a tradesman, he was born and educated in Limerick, Ireland. In 1823 he went to London, where he spent most of his literary career. In 1838 he returned to Ireland and, dividing his property among his brothers, devoted himself to a religious life by joining the Teaching Order of the Christian Brothers. Two years later he died, worn out by self-inflicted austerities. His best-known novel, The Collegians , was adapted by Dion Boucicault as The Colleen Bawn , and among his dramas is Gisippus . His novels depict southern Irish life.