Rob Hill, The Severed Man

A cedar canoe slipped through the steaming lakewaters, its bow noiselessly cleaving the roily surface. The figure aboard cringed as the fog wormed its sodden fingers through his hair, down the collar of his garments, along his beveled spine. He gripped the oar tightly, though the current urged the canoe without his guidance towards the…

Noel King, Pole Horses

They had a horse at the funeral, Paddy’s favourite mare. It reminding me of the funeral scene in Oliver, the horse adorned with black feathers and stuff. Her head remained still, almost reverent. Her clip on the streets took me back to the day Paddy and I met, aged ten; the friendship my father never…

Ion Corcos, Waiting

Silver Gulls  A seagull arrives unbattered  on salted air, adjusts its tail, squawks   alone. Red beak open,   it waits for crumbs, flakes of fish;  grey-sky wings spread   like the pending storm,  a knobbed leg stretched, prepared   for escape. Silver birds gather,   settle like sand whirled in the wind.  They bicker, squabble.  Some stamp their feet  …

Aine Ni Mhaoileoin, An Artist is his own Fault

During my MA at NUI Galway, I was lucky enough to meet with many established authors and artists as part of a weekly writer’s seminar. Hearing their wisdom about the world of writing and publishing proved to be an inspiring and fruitful exercise. As part of the course, I also attended the wonderful Cúirt festival…

Frank Roddy, Swinging into the MCU: A Review of Spiderman Homecoming

Studio: Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures Directed by: Jon Watts Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau Certification: 12A Runtime: 133 minutes Spiderman Homecoming finds itself in a very difficult position. The third incarnation of Ole Webhead on the big screen in the last 15 years, it had to redeem the franchise after Marc Webb’s misleadingly titled Amazing Spiderman series and live up…

Shaneen Gorman, 56

56 I find myself facing the TV where André Rieu plays Dublin, eyeing the side of your face. You’re sitting in your chair immersed I can see you smile as the symphony diminishes and the crowd begin to applaud as if you were there. As if you are a sir in a booth who witnesses such spectacles often…

Enda Boyle, The First North American Brown Bear in the Faughan Valley

The First North American Brown Bear in the Faughan Valley The Brown Bear is not native to this island yet here it stands in all its shaggy elegance. From snout to tail, long as a people carrier, as wide and as heavy as a Guinness lorry. Poised on the edge of a steel platform, raised…

Neil Slevin, Wait For My Daddy-O

Wait For My Daddy-O Streetlights shot past like stars as you drove us in your car, Lizzy blared from the radio, the boys were back in town and although I didn’t know Philo’s words, his air or tune you let me sing along; always my favourite line and song, Whack for my daddy-o, Whisky In…

Interview with debut author, Maria Hoey

Maria Hoey is set to become one of Ireland’s newest literary stars with the release of her debut novel under an imprint of Poolbeg; Crimson — Fiction with an Edge. I caught up with her to find out what we can expect from the intriguingly titled The Last Lost Girl and to gain an insight into just…

Interview with Una Mannion, Award Winning Author

I had the great fortune of meeting Una Mannion in the Writing (MA) Programme at NUI Galway. She consistently amazed me with her impressive knowledge and the sincerity of her writing. Una is a lecturer in Performing Arts at IT Sligo and is Programme Chair of the new B.A. Writing & Literature (Hons) Programme. Her poem…

David Lohrey, Camel Milk and Bedlam

My brother warned me against going to Saudi Arabia. He said I would be kidnapped and left in the desert to the jackals. I admit to allowing his paranoia to get to me but not enough to dissuade me. I took the job teaching at King Fahd University and left for Dhahran. Teaching Saudi boys…

Michelle Granville, Every Shade of Nothing

Michelle Granville is a Kerry native living in Sligo. She is interested in all aspects of art and literature, particularly when they overlap. She is a failed artist and writer, but is willing to change. Her work is has appeared in Headspace, Anomalie, concis, and One Sentence Poems. Abibliophobia Baggage Eutierria Every Shade of Nothing…