We're delighted to present the shortlisted stories from this year's RTÉ Radio 1 Short Story Competition in honour of Francis MacManus.

Today, we present In Madness and In Feathers, by Méabh de Brún (pictured)  - listen to Méabh's story, read by Jane Brennan, above.

About The Author: Méabh de Brún is a trainee solicitor, guerrilla actor and Arcade Award-nominated playwright. Her writing has featured in The Stinging Fly, Mysterion Magazine, Imbas Books and at headstuff.ie. A third-rate charlatan and penny gaff player, she throws shapes on Twitter as @MeabhdeBrun.