Tag Archives: Short Stories

Shortlisting – Short Story of the Year

Shortlisted! My dementia story *This Small Giddy Life* from the New Island Books anthology A Little Unsteadily Into Light is up for the writing.ie Story of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2022. We had a lovely shortlisters’ event at the GPO last night. This story is meaningful to me as I took elements of my mother’s dementia to fictionalise. She’s still with us, and doing well, TG.

Voting is open now, see all shortlistees below: Vote here.

Thanks to editors Jan Carson & Jane Lugea and all at New Island & Vanessa of Writing.ie. This is my fifth Book Awards shortlisting, maybe this year I’ll take something home other than memories of a great, chat-filled, glammy night. The big event is the 23rd November and I can’t wait!

Neil Paul of Tertulia Books, Mayo, and Nuala
The 2002 Story of the Year shortlist

SHORT STORY OF THE YR – LONGLIST

One of my short stories – can’t say which for now – has been longlisted in the An Post Irish Book Awards Short Story of the Year category, run by writing.ie, which is lovely.

Shortlist will be announced 20th October. So crossing fingers!

Here are the longlisted writers:

Roisín O’Donnell
Eamon McGuinness
Wendy Erskine
Nuala O’Connor
Tim MacGabhann
Sheila Armstrong
Danielle McLaughlin
David Butler
Neil Tully
Colin Barrett
Twist Phelan
Rebecca Miller

Roddy Doyle interview

I’m interviewing Roddy Doyle, online at Politics and Prose in Washington, about short fiction. This event celebrates the USA publication day for Roddy’s book Life Without Children, which is a warm, funny, poignant collection of ten stories. Join us! 5pm USA, 10pm Ireland. More here.

INTERVIEW – JAMES JOYCE QUARTERLY

James Joyce

Nuala recently won The James Joyce Quarterly fiction contest, which asked writers to submit their own version of the short story ‘Ulysses’ that Joyce had considered adding to his collection Dubliners. The journal interviews Nuala about her story, and her connection to Joyce, today. (The story is not available online, only in the hard copy journal which can be bought here). See the interview here.

The latest issue of Ballinasloe Life has an article about Nuala’s recent Short Story Prize win.

Ballinasloe Life

2018 Short Fiction Prize

Nuala has won the 2018 Short Fiction Prize with a story about Nora Barnacle, wife and muse to James Joyce.

Judge Ríona Judge McCormack said the follow of Nuala’s winning story ‘Gooseen’:

“The winning entry, ‘Gooseen’, stood out for its freshness, its stunning use of language, and its warm, beating humanity. Joycean Dublin as a setting can be a risky endeavour, the path having been so well-travelled already, but this story rises easily above such comparisons to bring us something new and satisfyingly urgent. There is a finely-balanced weighting here between the raunchy, delicious beginnings of a love affair and the more poignant aspects of Nora’s inner life. Giving voice to someone known only through the letters and writings of another is an audacious undertaking, but one ‘Gooseen’ achieves with both a dancing lyricism and a deftly-executed sureness of touch”.

April Events


ONE CITY ONE BOOK, DUBLIN

Monday 23rd, Cabra Library, 6.30pm: The Long Gaze Back One City One Book event with Eimear Ryan, Susan Stairs and Sinéad Gleeson.

CÚIRT FESTIVAL, GALWAY

Tuesday 24th, Town Hall Theatre, Galway. Reading my flash ‘Pearl’ at the launch of ROPES.

Wednesday 25th, Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. Launching three new Salmon poetry collections by the fabulous trio that are Moya Roddy, Paul Kingsnorth and Anne Casey.

Thursday 26th, Bite Club, Galway. Reading from my story ‘The Boy from Petropólis’ at the launch of the brand new Stinging Fly anthology.

Joyride to Jupiter Reviews

“O’Connor’s language is clean and conscientious as well as poetic and lyrical, evident in the abstraction of “Yellow”. The collection exudes a quiet confidence and exercises the exemplary restraint of a seasoned writer who knows when to pull rather than push.”

Louisa Carroll The Sunday Times – 04-June-2017

“This blending of wry, caustic irreverence and meditative poignancy is central to the success of O’Connor’s storytelling. The mix is just right…”

Houman Barekat Irish Times – 10-June-2017

“Like a volume of rich poetry, this collection begs to be returned to again and again.”

Anne Cunningham Sunday Independent – 18-June-2017

“…Outstanding…”

Evening Echo – 23-June-2017

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The Closet of Savage Mementos Reviews

“…raw, beautiful and compelling, a ‘must read’.”

Deirdre Conroy in The Sunday Independent

“…her finest novel yet.”

The Sunday Times

“Compelling and deeply accomplished, The Closet of Savage Mementos is the product of a powerful literary talent.”

The Evening Echo

“It is difficult to write sex well, but Ní Chonchúir manages to strike a delicate balance between passion and poetry.”

The Sunday Business Post

“…this engaging book…this most readable novel.”

Irish Independent

Nuala Ní Chonchúir’s characters and their relationships have about them that most precious and elusive quality: the ring of truth.’

Gerard Stembridge

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