Shrieking Words


Banshee – /ˈbænʃiː/ BAN-shee, Modern Irish bean sí, from Old Irish: ban síde: Female spirit who heralds the death of a family member by shrieking or keening.  Banshee – /ˈbænʃiː/ BAN-shee: Irish literary journal, softcover, 113 pages, containing poetry, fiction and non-fiction by a wide range of writers … including me. For sale in all good bookshops and […]

Read more "Shrieking Words"

Soundclouding …


You can listen to my short story “The Two of Hearts” on Soundcloud. The story was originally broadcast on RTÉ Radio, read by actress Catriona Ni Mhurchú. Click on the picture to listen:

Read more "Soundclouding …"

No Small Feat


Two new Irish novels that both deal with the same subject have been published recently. Words to Shape My Name by Laura McKenna and The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small by Neil Jordan deal with the former slave Tony Small, servant of United Irishman Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Though both novels tell the same […]

Read more "No Small Feat"

The Book of Evidence


I’ve written about Irish novelist John Banville several times. I regard him as one of the finest contemporary prose stylists working in English. He is not everyone’s cup of tea. For every person who is a fan, you’ll find a detractor. His characters are ghastly, they say (well, this is true, but then again, great […]

Read more "The Book of Evidence"

Tunnel Vision


He tries desperately to appear wise and clever to people, taking to wearing all black, sunglasses indoors, holding impressive works of literature in the hope that passers-by will be interested, telling the manager of Shakespeare & Co. in Paris that their essay section is disappointing (despite not having any suggestions on how to improve it).

If this sounds insufferable to you, then perhaps Tunnel Vision isn’t for you.

Read more "Tunnel Vision"

An Arrow in Flight: Introducing Short Story Week and a giveaway!


Ireland has produced some of the world’s most celebrated short story writers – and continues to do so. Why are the Irish so good at the form, and why do they love it so much?

Ireland’s history with the short story form is well documented. James Joyce, Elizabeth Bowen, Frank O’Connor, Sean O’Faolain, Maeve Brennan, William Trevor and Mary Lavin are just some of a long list of internationally recognised writers.

For Frank O’Connor, whose study of the short story – The Lonely Voice – is considered a seminal work, the Irish are successful as writers of the short story because the best short stories focus on ‘submerged groups’ – marginalised people who live at the fringes of society and have no effective voice.

His main theory is that this submerged population changes its character from writer to writer, from generation to generation. It may be Gogol’s officials; Turgenev’s serfs…

View original post 854 more words

Read more "An Arrow in Flight: Introducing Short Story Week and a giveaway!"

My Coney Island Baby


From month to month, their routine barely deviates, yet a lot has changed … ageing has something to do with it … they have evolved to where they are now and to who they are, each massively influencing the other’s growth … people in love or in what they might in their own delusional state […]

Read more "My Coney Island Baby"