Literature

The Abolition of What's Next By Kevin Higgins It is ten to whenever  and must remain so. The living room door will remain ajar at exactly that angle. The cat will forever have just opened its eyes having heard something…

Exciting Times is the debut novel from Irish writer Naoise Dolan  and one of the Headstuff Picks of 2020.. As well as appearing in best selling lists in the original English, it has also been translated into Italian where it has got rave…

Bioluminescence By Clare Mulvany The waves of West Cork are dancing with light.  They hide under the canopy of darkness,  growing in their secret.  In this lake: liquid lore.  In these waters: tincture of stars.  We wait until…

The early days of Covid were tough for everyone. We were all stuck at home, learning remotely, working remotely and trying to get used to the new normal that was the year of Covid.  In those early days, one of the highlights was the New…

Daragh Fleming burst onto the literary scene with his debut collection of short stories in 2019. The Book of Revelations was an engaging and readable collection with a distinct voice that made it such a memorable collection. Fleming's…

Dancing with Lyme By Cathy Donelan It took the life out of me. Cold sweats with a shiver of something new –  a ‘ningle’, if that’s even a word. It doesn’t sit right on the flat of my tongue but I can feel it in my stomach. They…

It is not possible for anything good to come from polystyrene cups.  It is also not possible for anything good to come from the people holding the polystyrene cups. They feel unnatural, cheap, fake and flimsy. Cups and people can be…

Leonard and Hungry Paul is the debut novel by Irish writer Ronan Hession, though many at home will be familiar with his music, performed under the moniker Mumblin' Deaf Ro. Published by UK based Bluemoose Books, it has has built and…

Three Irish Mothers of the 1950s By Amy Egan Sometimes I think about the moment my grandmother, married late and unexpectant, told Grandad, grower of trees but indifferent to fruit, (he’d upped, then rooted deep for love, content to…

Last Man Standing Frank Nolan is flustered, a state compounded by his drowsiness. As he hurries down the road, he still can’t figure out why his alarm didn’t go off. His FitSmart is pre-programmed for 7.15am every weekday, it has…