Bundoran native among shortlist for RTÉ short story competition

RTÉ has announced its shortlist of ten exciting new stories as part of their short story competition 2024.

Bundoran born Stephen O'Reilly was among one of the top ten, for his short story, 'Divination.' Now living in Galway, Stephen said, "Time has a way of confounding your expectations. I wanted to write about that uncertainty and how a couple navigate the loss of an imagined future. The tension between faith and reason and the fragility of hope." 

His short stories have featured in numerous anthologies in Ireland and the UK. He is a previous recipient of a Molly Keane Memorial award, a HG Wells Short Story award and was also previously a winner of the 2019 RTÉ Short Story competition.  

The judges were writers Neil Hegarty, Claire Kilroy and Kathleen MacMahon. 

Neil Hegarty, author of 'The Jewel', said, "I’m deeply impressed by the entries submitted this year. Quite simply, it’s so heartening to see the sheer quality of writing on display. I’m also struck by how these stories track emotional lives in all their variety and complexity: art acts as a barometer of society, of course, but it seems to me that the RTE Short Story Competition in particular truly mirrors the preoccupations of our society in the here and now."  

Other shortlisted writers include, Sharon Guard, Fiona O'Connor, Mattie Brennan, Susanne Stich, Ryan Delaney, Sheila Barrett, Emer O’Toole, Alexis MacIsaac, and David Ralph. 

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The winning writer will receive €5,000, while the second and third placed writers will receive €4,000 and €3,000 respectively. All seven runners-up will receive €250 each. 

Set up in 1986 to honour writer and broadcaster Francis MacManus, the RTÉ Short Story Competition has been a critically important launch pad for new and emerging writers in Ireland.

Past winners and shortlisted writers include Claire Keegan, Molly McCloskey, Danielle McLaughlin, Anthony Glavin, Chris Binchy, Nuala O’Connor, Liz Nugent, Colin Walsh, Stephen Walsh, Austin Duffy and Sarah Gilmartin. 

All ten stories will be published on here on Saturday, November 16, and Sunday November 17. It will also be broadcast over the course of two weeks, from Monday November 18, on RTÉ Radio 1’s Late Date. 

They’ll also be featured regularly on RTÉ Radio 1's Arena in advance of the awards. An RTÉ Radio 1 Arena special programme will take place at the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, at 7pm on Friday November 29. 

The event will feature readings of extracts from all ten shortlisted stories, each followed by a discussion with all three judges before they award their top prizes.  

Tickets for that event are now on sale here.