Francis MacManus Short Story Thursday 8 October 2020
The winner of the 2020 RTÉ Short Story Competition has been announced! Get all the details at rte.ie/culture. The announcement was made live on Arena on RTÉ Radio 1 as part of a special programme dedicated to the awards.
To listen to and read all ten stories on the shortlist click on the story title link below after the story has been broadcast. They will be on air week nights at 11.20 p.m. during Late Date on RTÉ Radio 1.
Monday, 28th September 2020: 1st Prize: Flower Wild by Shane Tivenan, read by Ingrid Craigie
Tuesday, 29th September 2020: 2nd Prize: Kissing Booth by Alan Walsh, read by Bláithín MacGabhann
Wednesday, 30th September 2020: 3rd Prize: The Shape on the Strand by Katherine Duffy, read by Jane Brennan
Thursday 1st October: Hands; A Downpour, by Aengus Murray, read by Liam Carney
Friday 2nd October: Neadú by Ceri Garfield, read by Bríd Ní Neachtain
Monday 5th October: The Brow of the Hill, by Edel Moloney, read by Derbhle Crotty
Tuesday 6th October: Everything Will Be Recorded, by Seán Mackel, read by Lalor Roddy
Wednesday 7th October: Beneath the Trees, Where Nobody Sees, by Julie Cruickshank, read by Cathy Belton
Thursday 8th October: Tactics, by Andrew Maguire, read by Ignacy Rybarczyck
Friday 9th October: Guinness & Coke, by Lochlainn McKenna, read by Éanna Hardwicke
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Julie Cruikshank read by Cathy Belton
In Beneath the Trees, Where Nobody Sees, by Julie Cruickshank, a woman takes her daughters and nephew on a playdate to a park where there's a tree the children love. But underneath the surface, something darker is going on.
About the Competition
A competition for original short stories for radio was first established in 1986 in memory of Francis MacManus (1909-1965), the Kilkenny-born novelist, biographer and former Head of Talks and Features at Radio Éireann. Since its establishment, the competition has been a launching pad for many writers who have gone on to receive national and international acclaim, including Claire Keegan, Molly McCloskey, Anthony Glavin, Danielle McLaughlin and Nuala Ní Chonchúir.
The winning and shortlisted short stories are produced for radio and voiced by some of Ireland's most talented actors of the stage and screen. In recent years these have included Peter Hanly, Ali White, Emmet Kirwan, Cathy Belton, Ingrid Craigie, Denis Conway, Andrew Bennett, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú, Kathy-Rose O'Brien, and many more. Listen to podcasts from past series here
Free to enter, the RTÉ Short Story Competition is open to anyone over 18 living on the island of Ireland, or living abroad who holds an Irish passport. Next year's competition will open for entries in spring 2021.
The RTÉ Short Story Competition in honour of Francis MacManus is produced by Sarah Binchy.