RTÉ Radio has announced the winners of the Francis MacManus Short Story Competition 2014, the annual short story competition.
The promotion includes a prize fund of €6,000 and a broadcast of each of the shortlisted stories.
The Oyster Catchers by Beth Tyrrell is the overall winner. She receives a prize of €3,000. Her story, read by Kelly Campbell will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 at 11.02pm on Monday 30 June 2014. Beth Tyrrell grew up in Allihies, on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork and now lives in Bandon. She is a full time stay-at-home mother and a part time journalist and edits the parenting supplement of the Sunday World newspaper.
The Chamber Pot by Richard Ball from Co Meath is the second prize winner. He receives a prize of €2,000. His story, read by Andrew Bennett will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 at 11.02pm on Tuesday 1 July 2014. Richard was a teacher of English at St Patrick’s Classical School, Navan, Co Meath and has a keen interest in theatre.
Whalesong by Barbara Leahy from Ballinlough in Cork is the third prize winner. She receives a prize of €1,000. Her story, read by Aonghus Óg McAnally will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 at 11.02pm on Wednesday 2 July 2014. Barbara’s stories have appeared in Crannóg magazine, on the RTÉ Ten website, and in various anthologies. She has won the Hungry Hill Short Story Competition, the Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition, the Wells Festival of Literature Short Story Competition, and the Words with Jam Shortest Story Competition.
Since its establishment in 1986 the competition has been the launching pad for several new and emerging writers. Previous winners include Claire Keegan, Ciarán Folan, Ivy Bannister, Katy Hayes, Nuala Ní Chonchúir and Martin Malone.
The competition was founded in memory of Francis Mac Manus: the Kilkenny-born novelist, short story writer, biographer and former Head of Talks and Features at Radió Éireann. A total of 813 short stories were entered into this year’s competition, and were submitted from countries including England, Australia, France, Spain, Germany Poland, Japan, Canada the US as well as Ireland. From these entries, a shortlist of 25 was compiled.
The competition was judged this year by writers Julie Parsons and Christine Dwyer Hickey and Eoin Purcell, Commissioning Editor, New Island Books.
This year’s 25 shortlisted stories will be read on RTÉ Radio 1 over five weeks starting on Monday 30 June 2014, and then week-nightly 11.10pm. Readers of the stories include Andrew Bennett, Catherine Walsh, Bairbre Ní Chaoimh, Karl O’Neill, Aonghus Óg McAnally, Kelly Campbell, Patrick Dawson, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú, Angela Harding, Aaron Monaghan, Keith Hanna.
The series producer, and Judging Panel Chair of The RTÉ Radio Francis Mac Manus Short Story Competition 2014 is Clíodhna Ní Anluain.