Introducing this year's ten stories from the shortlist of the RTÉ Short Story Competition in honour of Francis MacManus, as selected by judges Lisa McInerney, Éilis Ní Dhuibhne and Ferdia MacAnna.
Read the shortlisted stories here.
This year’s shortlist "exemplifies the liveliness, wit, empathy, imagination possible in the short story form," according to Lisa McInerney. "I was really pleased with how the writers approached the brief - it was clear they had thought about this being a story for radio, and so we were delighted to find a host of strong characters, dynamic dialogue and vibrant settings."
The writers "take snapshots of modern Ireland in two distinct categories: nuanced evocations of an unsettled country, where people struggle to carry on and make sense of their lives in the midst of loss, grief and family dysfunction, and visions of quirky, bizarre, occasionally hallucinogenic landscapes where anything can happen, and absolutely nothing is predictable," says judge Ferdia MacAnna.
Éilis Ní Dhuibhne was impressed by "the original ideas, the mastery of the craft of composition, and above all, the vitality of the stories. Wonderfully various, there was a great deal of humour in the submissions, light-hearted and viciously dark. Selecting the top ten was not easy. There is so much talent out there!It lifts the heart to encounter it."
The stories will be broadcast from Monday 10 to Thursday 20 October at 11.20pm nightly as part of Late Date, followed by an Arena/RTÉ Short Story special live from the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, on Friday 21 October, where the judges will discuss all the stories, we’ll hear a flavour of them in live performance, and the prizes will be awarded.
Broadcast schedule: RTÉ Short Story Competition, 11.20pm RTÉ Radio 1 as part of Late Date
Monday 10 October 2022
Scrappage, by Aingeala Flannery, read by Jane Brennan
Tuesday 11 October
Fire Starter, by Alan McCormick, read by Rory Nolan
Wednesday 12 October
Fishing for Pike, by Antoinette McCarthy, read by Elaine O’Dwyer
Thursday 13 October
A Nice Cup of Tea, by Bernard Crowley, read by Hilda Fay
Friday 14 October
Cnámharlach Uaigneach, by Nicola Crean, read by Denis Conway
Sunday 16 October
The Coast of Africa, by Julie Cruickshank, read by Peter Hanly
Monday 17 October
The Big House of Nora Toad, by Rachel Hynes, read by Derbhle Crotty
Tuesday 18 October
Big Why, Little Why, by Brendan Killeen, read by Andrew Bennett
Wednesday 19 October
Strawberry Season, by Doreen Finn, read by Martha Breen
Thursday 20 October
Cherries, by Sara Keating, read by Ali White
Leading up to…
Friday 21 October
RTÉ Radio 1 Arena RTÉ Short Story Special (from 7pm)
Audience tickets for the Pavilion Arena RTÉ Short Story special broadcast are now on sale - find out more here.
