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Fish Short Story Awards



Every year Fish Publishing at Durrus near Bantry in Co. Cork in Ireland runs a short story competition with cash and other prizes leading to the publication of an anthology of winning stories. The anthology is normally named after the overall winning entry, so this year's collection is entitled Franklin's Grace and Other Stories. Clem Cairns edits the anthology and organizes the competition which is judged by an international panel led this year by the writer Christopher Hope. My story Letting Go was placed second overall this year and my other entry Collateral Damage reached the final short list, so I found myself this June attending a very impressive award ceremony and book launch in the amazing Bantry House stately home on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Bantry Bay in the County Cork. I had the opportunity to meet many of the other lucky writers as well as some of the organizers and judges of the competition. On the actual launch day the weather was kind and we all had a marvelous time both inside and in the grounds of the stunning venue, where about a hundred people listened to a brief reading from a selection of the winning entries. Afterwards, as you might expect, a pint or two was downed at a local hostelry and many new friendships were forged. I have never before had the experience of having strangers coming up to me in the street and saying that they liked my story or enjoyed my reading, and predictably I had major difficulty getting my head through the aircraft door in order to fly home.

Everybody who came over for the event had a great time, the hospitality was first class and the atmosphere jolly and celebratory. There's nothing like talking about writing to fellow writers. Bantry and the rest of Cork seemed prosperous, full of beautiful towns and villages and dramatic cliff scenery, clean and tidy and amazingly welcoming to visitors. The food is great, the music in the local pubs is unmissable and just about every second building is a guest house so accommodation is no problem whatsoever. In September I will be returning to another part of County Cork to take up my prize of a week at the Anam Cara Writers' and Artists' Retreat. I have no idea what this is like but everybody tells me it's heavenly. As always, I'll write a little report like this one for my friends.

UPDATE. I have now completed my week at Anam Cara and written a brief photographic Account of my visit.





Right: front cover image of the latest Fish anthology



Cover Image

Bantry is a small picturesque sea port on the south west coast of Ireland. The venue for the award ceremony and book launch, Bantry House, is a magnificent (though relatively recent) mansion which was at the time providing a simultaneous home for a chamber music festival and several art exhibitions, as well as a wedding reception a few hours before we arrived!

Bantry Harbour

Bantry Harbour

Bantry House

Bantry House

Sitting on the wall at Bantry House

Sitting on the wall at Bantry House



group photo

Group photo of winners and people associated with the book launch
Key

I have put in the names of the people I met where I could remember them. Originally there were a lot of "A.N. Others" but with the help of Clem Cairns and Sue at Anam Cara I have now got it down to two. If you can identify either of these please send me an e-mail.

1 = Christopher Hope
2 = Anne O'Carroll
3 = Nick Wright
4 = Yann Kelly Hoffman
5 = Mia Gallagher
6 = A.N. Other
7 = A.N. Other
8 = David Gardiner
9 = Frank O'Donovan
10 = Aine Greaney
11 = Naomi Brandel
12 = Clem Cairns
13 = Elizabeth Iddon
14 = Claire Kelly Hoffman
15 = Brendan Glacken
16 = Cliff Chen
17 = Joyce Russell
18 = Jula Walton
19 = Rosemary Conry




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