I have always enjoyed working with my hands. If I can repair or make something, then the day has not been a total loss creatively. #diy #writing

My cotributor's copy arrived today. 'Abridged' is alive in the true sense: its format mutates, never settling, never standardised, always surprising. @abridgedmagazine.bsky.social Thanks!

#GuiltyPleasure #CultClassic #Nostalgia #HorrorMovies

First come, first served #Galway #Art #Sunday www.shorelinesartsfestival.com/big-art-sale...

This is a great competition and one of the few free ones still left. Previous winners have included Patrick Holloway, Fiona Ennis and Laura Cassidy. www.writing.ie/writing-comp...

Pushbike Prize for Flash Fiction A new flash prize and I'm judging! Crannóg Magazine is delighted to announce the inaugural Pushbike Prize for Flash Fiction judged by Nuala O'Connor. €1500 in prizes Subs open May 1st to 21st. www.wordsonthestreet.com/pod.html?fbc...

The RTÉ Short Story Competition is now open for entries! ✨Competition deadline 15th May 2026 RTÉ Short Story Competition 2026 www.writing.ie/writing-comp...

Finally some sunlight again.

The Museum of Childhood in Ireland @museumofchildhood.bsky.social recently invited me to contribute a blog post on my four-year stint as Editor of The Moneygall News (1984-88). Was delighted to do so! You can read it here: museumofchildhood.ie/portrait-of-... #Moneygall #Childhood #1980s

The Molly Keane Creative Writing Award 2026 Competition deadline: 1st May 2026 The annual Molly Keane Creative Writing Award, run by Waterford City & County Council Arts Office, is to celebrate the rich literary life of the late Molly Keane.  Molly lived in Ardmore, Co. Waterford until she died in…

Another striking cover on the latest issue of Crannóg magazine available to order now. crannogmagazine.com

Afternoon. Added the three Soundings issues from the early 1970s. Two were edited by Seamus Heaney, the third by Jimmy Simmons. An Annual Anthology of New Irish Writing is the tagline. Mostly Male New Irish Writing it has to be said. Anyways read them at oldzinescene.com/collections/... for free!

One of the Abridged personnel is creating a little Irish literary magazine archive. Give him a like or Follow or whatever it's called! Also you'll see interesting old Irish (and some other) poetry and literary mags! Ta!

New blog post: a shiny new list of UK and Ireland short story competitions for 2026 anneolearyblog.wordpress.com/2026/01/08/s...

Exhibition on Irish nurses opens this week! Free entry, Whittington Hospital, Archway 3-18 Dec Features Photos by Fiona Freund + 1st-hand testimonies gathered by Professor Louise Ryan, Gráinne McPolin & Neha Doshi, authors of Irish Nurses in the NHS https://ow.ly/ZmBj50XxByV

Thanks again to judge @nualaoconnor.bsky.social for her kind words and to the organisers of the #Allingham Arts Festival for all their hard work. Congratulations to the other winners especially Shona Doyle-Woods and @kiklodge.bsky.social www.allinghamfestival.com/fiction-poet...

Bealach na Bó Finne (Way of the White Cow)

Spectrum was a Science/Tech/Engineering mag from Queen's University in Belfast. It included some 'Science Fiction' so falls into our remit. This issue is from 1967 so may be of interest to tech nostalgists also! See it at oldzinescene.com/items/show/20 for free!

Talented writer and always very supportive of others. paulmcveighwriter.com/2025/11/26/p...

These are so useful and worth a repost as we come to the end of the year. Thank you Anne.

Solar flair #Galway

The rise and fall of Ballyshannon port. The port's international connections brought much prosperity to the Co Donegal town from the 15th century onwards, but the good times didn't last, writes @angela-historian.bsky.social @ria.ie @dib.ie www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

We are pleased to announce that Peatsmoke is now paying contributors! Contributors will receive $10 per piece (though we wish it was one million because that's how much we love you)!

Applications are open for the third year of the Paul McVeigh Residency! This is an amazing opportunity for fiction and non-fiction writers living in the UK and Ireland. Get more info here: paulmcveighwriter.com/2025/10/17/t... Application deadline: 30th November, 2025

That's part 1 of the usual Valentine's day conundrum solved.

It's been a great week. Read at an Arts Festival. Finally cracked hole-y bread. The secret turned out to be hydration and to do as little as possible with the dough Made a rather one sided friendship with a crow and got the badly scarred worktops sanded down and oiled.

Great day with writers and poets at #Allingham Arts Festival in #Ballyshannon yesterday. Thank you to all the organisers and @nualaoconnor.bsky.social who judged the flash fiction competition honouring the memory of James Keane, local writer and patron of the Arts www.allinghamfestival.com/news

Today on BBC Radio 4 and afterwards on the BBC Sounds App www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Honoured and thrilled to make the shortlist for The New Irish Writing Best Short Story Award at the 2025 @irishbookawards.bsky.social

Two events for me on Saturday Nov 8th Allingham Arts in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal *Literary Lunch, 11.30am, Dorrian's Hotel* Public announcement of the winners of the flash (which I judged) and poetry comps. *Dónal Ryan Interview, 3.30pm Abbey Arts Centre* I'm interviewing Dónal.

Cork to Ballyshannon! I'll be bringing stories and readings from my childhood memoir - This Boy's Heart - to the Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon on Sunday next Nov. 9th. Book signing & chat with Sean Perry. Can't wait! Tickets here - www.allinghamfestival.com/news/2025/8/...

Poet and memoirist Afric McGlinchey will lead an immersive creative writing workshop at the 2025 Allingham Festival on “Setting and Weather as Metaphor”. The two-hour workshop for 15 participants will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 am in Kilbarron House, Ballyshannon on Saturday morning, November 8.

Authors to give talks at the Allingham Arts Festival, the Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Festival and the Frances Brown Literary Festival.

Is Was — my new exhibition of paintings, drawings and photographs — is now live on the Kenny Gallery website. Over forty new works, made from the streets, light and shifting memory of Galway. www.thekennygallery.ie

The finale of this year's RTE Short Story Competition is coming up: Friday 25 Oct at the Pavilion, Dún Laoghaire - and live at 7pm on Arena, RTE Radio One, with @rickoshea.bsky.social. What a pleasure it has been! - and thanks to fellow judges @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social and Tristan Rosenstock.

I've been so excited about this! My short story "Homing" will be featured on BBC Radio 4 on 7th November, Read by Charlotte McCurry www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

You should come out and join me for a live show next Friday night... We have @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social, @neilhegarty.bsky.social, Tristan Rosenstock, live music from David Kitt, and live readings from a host of Irish actors... www.paviliontheatre.ie/events/view/...

Tá mo scéal 'Corrán na Maidine', atá ar ghearrliosta chomórtas Francis MacManus @rteradio1.bsky.social le léamh anseo anois: www.rte.ie/culture/2025...

Best wishes to this year's finalists starting this evening with Witness, by Lynda McCarthy and read by Eileen Walsh www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

New blog post: an up-to-date list of Irish literary journals anneolearyblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/05/i...

Delighted to have been awarded a 2025 Mentorship in Fiction Bursary with Frank O’Connor fellow @laurajeanmckay.bsky.social @munsterlitcentre.bsky.social

A quiet afternoon for reading. Have a good week.

Some very happy looking judges. Congratulations to everyone on the shortlist 🥂 www.rte.ie/culture/2025...

Huge congratulations to all the prize winners of the 2025 Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition. First prize went to Tim Collyer. Full list of winners are available on our website: munsterlit.ie/o-faolain-sh... #writing #shortstory #competitions

Writing Ghost Stories with June Caldwell 👻 In this six-week course, participants will learn all the necessary tools for completing a solidly spooky story. Topics covered will include 'finding your ghost', 'the Irish púca' and 'floating off in style'... irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...

'To arrest and charge with terrorist offences those expressing their opposition to genocide seems like an unnecessary and unwelcome form of censorship': our statement on the recent arrest of peaceful protestors - including poet Alice Oswald - in London. irishpen.com/2025/08/13/s...

Would you like to contribute to the public consultation about the Basic Income for the Arts? 💡 Fill out this survey from Minister O’Donovan at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport: ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/run...

I've followed Amanda's progress as a writer since reading this a few years ago. It's great to see talented people doing well. www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...