Blog Archives
Storymap – The Secret Librarian
‘Storymap.ie brings Dublin absolutely alive… a brilliant idea’ – Tom Dunne, Newstalk FM
I am delighted to have my short story, The Secret Librarian, on Storymap amongst such varied and wonderful Irish writers, poets and historians as: Paula Meehan, Eileen Casey, Roddy Doyle, Colm Keegan, Stephen James Smith, Shane MacThomáis and Paul Howard (aka Ross O’Carroll-Kelly), to name but a few.
What better way to pass your journey than by experiencing the charm of Dublin city. Storymap hosts a living world to spark your imagination – a world of stories, filmed where they happened, ranging from funny to literary; historic to places of interest and everything in-between!
You can watch The Secret Librarian here and don’t forget to check out a few of my favourites on Storymap, listed below, to give you a real flavour of Dublin.
If you like them, don’t keep them to yourself, share them!
| Paula Meehan | The Lost Children |  |
| Eileen Casey | The Black Ballgown |  |
| Roddy Doyle | The Spire |  |
| Colm Keegan | Ode to the Coalman |  |
| Stephen James Smith | On Raglan Road |  |
| Shane MacThomáis | Strange bedfellows |  |
| Paul Howard (aka Ross O’Carroll-Kelly) |
I’m afraid this is my stop |  |
A little about Storymap:
Storymap is the brainchild of two Dublin filmmakers, Andy Flaherty and Tom Rowley. Just back from working abroad, unemployed and in between film projects, the lads became annoyed with all the negative press the city was receiving. The bleak tales of recession, the gloomy accounts of unemployment and the notion that Ireland’s best and brightest had emigrated was completely at odds with what the lads were experiencing being back in their hometown.
“We wanted to do something to get people as excited about the city as we were. While loads of great people have left the country, you only have to walk into any gallery, gig or any of the fantastic spoken word or comedy nights to see that Dublin is a ridiculously fun and vibrant city with wonderful characters and a flourishing art scene. We wanted to bring the charm and character that had been pushed aside by the Celtic Tiger and bring it centre stage” – Andy
The lads came up with Storymap, a web based multimedia project that revives Ireland’s age-old tradition of storytelling and tries to capture the personality of Dublin city through its stories and storytellers. These stories are filmed being told where they happened and integrated into a live map to create a charming and layered collective vision of Dublin city made by the people of the city.
“Walking around the city – everyone has their own stories that they remember on certain streets, stories that flavour their personal experience of the city, that they tell on to friends. We thought it’d be exciting to pool those stories in one place, like one big pub where everyone shares their stories, creating a sense of what the city means to Dubliners. It’s a simple idea, but with complex possibilities, and we’re only just at the beginning of it.” – Tom
You can Follow Storymap on Facebook and Twitter
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Red Line Book Festival 2013
There’s plenty of events to keep all avid readers and aspiring writers busy over the month of October and more to come . . .
Check out a selection below which includes LADYKILLERS – when, as part of the Red Line Book Festival, I have the opportunity to chat to some of my favourite crime fiction writers – Alex Barclay, Louise Phillips and Arlene Hunt – not a night for the faint-hearted!
Red Line Book Festival 2013: Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About
Ireland’s leading performance poets take you on an emotional journey about what it really means to be a man. With Stephen James Smith, Colm Keegan & Kalle Ryan.
Venturing where few men have gone before they talk life, love, family and feelings in a show about universal truths, the things that make us human and the things that mess us up.
“…each of the men brings their own energy, tone and distinct poetic style to the composite structure…”**** The Irish Times
Contains some strong language, suitable 15+
This event is supported by Poetry Ireland
Date: Wednesday 16th October
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Civic Theatre, Main Auditorium
Admission: €12/€10 concession
Red Line Book Festival 2013: Against the Black Sky We Listen : an Irish Peacekeeper’s Poems
Michael J. Whelan is a soldier-poet, historian and United Nations veteran. Michael writes powerful, emotive poems of witness, tragedy, friendship & loss brought like baggage from war zones through which many Irish soldiers have passed; he is a voice of moments in the past.
In, Against the Black Sky, We Listen, he writes poems inspired by his experiences and memories as an Irish soldier with the peacekeeping forces during the conflicts in Lebanon and Kosovo.
Michael will read from his collection of poems placed 2nd in the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Awards 2011, some of which have been published in New Irish Writing 2013 and other literary journals.
Date: Thursday, 17th October
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: RUA RED Arts Centre, Tallaght
Admission: Free
Red Line Book Festival 2013: LADYKILLERS
Crime Writing by Leading Female Authors: Alex Barclay, Arlene Hunt, Louise Phillips and special guest former Boulder Coroner Joanne Richardson in conversation with Susan Condon
A killer evening not to be missed! Some of Ireland’s most popular female crime writers share insights into creating a gripping thriller. Special guest Joanne Richardson, former County Coroner of Boulder Colorado, brings an interesting element to the evening as she shares her experiences in this challenging role.
Alex Barclay’s first novel Darkhouse was a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller. Since then Alex has written several bestselling thrillers and won the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award at the Irish Book Awards for her third novel, Blood Runs Cold, which was the beginning of the Special Agent Ren Bryce series.
Arlene Hunt’s dark and atmospheric stories perfectly capture the grimy underworld of Dublin and beyond. She is the author of a series of fast-paced crime-thrillers, featuring John Kenny and Sarah Quigley from Quik Investigations. Her sixth novel Undertow was nominated for best crime novel of the year in 2009. Her current novel – a stand alone set in the US – entitled The Chosen, was voted as TV3′s Book of the Month for November 2011.
Louise Phillips’ bestselling debut crime novel, Red Ribbons, was shortlisted for Best Irish Crime Novel of the Year (2012) in the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards. Her eagerly awaited second psychological crime novel, The Doll’s House was published August 2013
Joanne Richardson was County Coroner in Boulder Colorado from 2003 to 2012 and was responsible for determining cause and manner of death, which indicates whether the death was accidental, natural, suicide or homicide. Despite having what many would perceive to be a morbid profession, Richardson is upbeat, colourful and frank about her work.
Susan Condon is currently editing her debut novel – a crime fiction thriller set in New York City. Her writing career began in 2008. She has won many short story awards and was Longlisted in the RTE Guide / Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition 2012.
Date: Friday 18th October
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Civic Theatre, Main Auditorium
Admission: €12/€10 concession
Whether you are a crime fiction reader or currently honing your skills as a crime fiction writer, this is an event not to be missed. An opportunity to delve into the minds of three prolific writers as they divulge the secrets (we hope!) to their success and how they manage to get into the minds of their characters: the victims and the killers . . .
At the end of the night, there will be a chance for you, the audience, to ask those burning questions that have been eating away at you. If you can’t make it on the night and that burning question will not go away, post it here. The most intriguing question will be asked, on your behalf, on the night.
Hope to see you there!
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Writer Profiles
Poets and writers from writing groups, including; Platform One in Rua Red, Lucan Writers, St Muirin’s Writing Group and Virginia House Writers, who read their work in Tallaght Library and were profiled in The Poet’s Corner in The Echo.
Find out more about them and read some of their work:
Michael J Whelan:
The Echo, 26 April 2012 – Michael J Whelan
James Hyde:
The Echo, 5 April 2012 – James Hyde
Joan Power:
The Echo, 8 March 2012 – Joan Power
Eileen Casey:
The Echo, 1 March 2012 – Eileen Casey
Brigid Flynn:
The Echo, 23 February 2012 – Brigid Flynn
Tony Bardon:
The Echo, 16 February 2012 – Tony Bardon
Jim Archer:
The Echo, 9 February 2012 – Jim Archer
Colm Keegan:
The Echo, 2 February 2012 – Colm Keegan
Ray Mullen:
The Echo, 26 January 2012 – Ray Mullen
Brian Kirk:
The Echo, 12 January 2012 – Brian Kirk
Áine Lyons:
The Echo, 5 January 2012 – Áine Lyons
Mae Newman:
The Echo, 29 December 2011 – Mae Newman
As an added bonus this week, The Echo have also published a short story called ‘The Rapping Penguin’ by Emily Whelan
(Michael J Whelan’s daughter, aged 9¾):
The Echo, 22 December 2011 – Emily Whelan – p1
The Echo, 22 December 2011 – Emily Whelan – p2
Trish Nugent:
The Echo, 22 December 2011 – Trish Nugent
Ann Marie Mullen:
The Echo, 15 December 2011 – Ann Marie Mullen
Kate Dempsey:
The Echo, 8 December 2011 – Kate Dempsey
Trish Best:
The Echo, 1 December 2011 – Trish Best
Gavan Duffy:
The Echo, 24 November 2011 – Gavan Duffy
Maria Wallace:
The Echo, 17 November 2011 – Maria Wallace
Marie Gahan:
The Echo, 10 November 2011 – Marie Gahan
Doreen Duffy:
The Echo, 3 November 2011 – Doreen Duffy
Susan Condon:
The Echo, 27 October 2011 – Susan Condon
Louise Phillips:
The Echo, 20 October 2011 – Louise Phillips
Michael J Whelan:
The Echo, 13 October 2011 – Michael J Whelan
Eileen Casey:
The Echo, 6 October 2011 – Eileen Casey
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Photos from Dublin Writing Events
A selection of photos with writers, from all genres, that I have had the privilege to meet.
I admire them all, not only for for their work, but also for their attitude and their willingness to help fellow writers.
And lots more to be added soon, I hope!
The National Emerging Writer Programme
Dublin City Library and Archive
9 January, 2013:
Annmarie Miles, Vanessa O’Loughlin, Susan Condon
Hazel Gaynor, Paul Fitzsimons, Carlo Gébler,
Susan Condon, Declan Hughes
Vanessa O’Loughlin, Hazel Gaynor, Paul Fitzsimons,
Carlo Gébler, Declan Hughes, Susan Condon
#TXS2 at The Westin Hotel
November, December 2012:
Louise Phillips, Jillian Godsill, John Ivory,
Maura Donaghue, Susan Condon
Susan Condon, Trish Nugent
After Crime Night at the Civic Theatre
November, 2012:
Susan Condon, Fergus Doyle, Trish Nugent,
Ruby Barnes, Louise Phillips
Shay Condon, Susan Condon, Fergus Doyle,
Tanya Farrelly, Ruby Barnes, Trish Nugent,
Louise Phillips, Declan Kerins, Rhoda Kerins
Three Voices/Three Forms
Loose End Studio, Civic Theatre
14 November, 2012:
Susan Condon, Colm Keegan
Susan Condon, Colm Keegan,
Eileen Casey, Louise Phillips
Louise Phillips, Susan Condon
Eileen Casey, Susan Condon
Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards
Saggart Heritage & Arts Centre
November, 2012:
Susan Condon 1st Prize Short Story
Michael J Whelan 3rd Prize Poetry
Doreen Duffy 1st Prize Poetry
Susan Condon 1st Prize Short Story
Michael J Whelan 3rd Prize Poetry
Doreen Duffy 1st Prize Poetry
SDCC European Week Against Racism Poetry Competition
SDCC County Hall
27 March 2012:
1st Prize
SDCC European Week Against Racism Poetry Competition, 2012
Deputy Mayor of South Dublin County Pamela Kearns, Susan Condon
Brigid Flynn, Susan Condon
Tallaght Library Writers Group
Rua Red
August 2011:
Doreen Duffy, Orla Coffey, Tanya Farrelly
Michael Whelan, Des McInerney, Paul Tylak
Michael Whelan, Des McInerney, Orla Coffey
Doreen Duffy, Tanya Farrelly, Susan Condon
SDCC Bealtaine Short Story Competition
SDCC County Hall
28 May 2010:
1st Prize
SDCC Bealtaine Short Story Competition, 2010
Susan Condon, Mayor of South Dublin County Mick Duff
City of Dublin VEC Creative Writing Competition
Teachers’ Club, Parnell Square
29 April 2010:
1st Prize
City of Dublin VEC Short Story Competition, 2010
John McKenna, Susan Condon
3rd Prize
City of Dublin VEC Poetry Competition, 2010
John McKenna, Susan Condon
Out and About at Writing Events:
Susan Condon, Mick Halpin, Nell McCafferty,
Louise Phillips, Liam Flood
After Inspiring Crime Writers
Dublin Book Festival
The Porterhouse, Temple Bar (15 November 2012)
Louise Phillips
Launch of Red Ribbons by Louise Phillips
Hughes & Hughes Bookshop (5 September 2012)
Photo by Ger at Taken by Titch
Susan Condon, Arlene Hunt, Louise Phillips
Launch of The Wrath of Angels by John Connolly
The Gutter Bookshop (31 August 2012)
Jillian Godsill, Valerie Healy, Michelle Jackson
Launch of The Terrace by Maria Duffy
The Clarion Hotel (2012)
Jane Travers, Susan Condon, Derek Flynn
Launch of The Scarlet Ribbon by Derry O’Dowd
Hodges Figgis Bookstore (10 February 2012)
Susan Condon, Joseph O’Connor
A private Reading of Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor
at the home of Orla Coffey (13 April 2011)
Melissa Hill, Susan Condon
Irish Women’s Fiction
Eason, O’Connell Street, Dublin (31 March 2011)
Mick Halpin, Ann Usack, Patrick Fay,
Brian Roche, Laurence O’Bryan, Louise Phillips
Dundrum Irish Crime Fiction Writers
(only some of them and taken by me!)
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What A Privilege!
There could be only one answer – a resounding YES – when I was asked to chair Three Voices/Three Forms at the Loose End Studio, Civic Theatre last Wednesday.
As part of the Red Line Book Festival 2012, this was a platform to showcase three very diverse, but equally talented writers:
- Colm Keegan
- Eileen Casey
- Louise Phillips
Each writer read extracts from their work – Colm from his poetry, Don’t Go There; Eileen from her short story collection, Snow Shoes and Louise from her crime bestseller, Red Ribbons, along with a tantalizing taster from The Dolls House.
After their Readings I had an opportunity to ask each writer a couple of questions about their writing before opening up to the floor where the fun really began.
You only had to look at the audience to see how much they enjoyed listening to these wonderful writers and from the photo’s it certainly appears as if Colm, Eileen and Louise enjoyed the night too!
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November Events
November is a jam-packed month full of events to keep all avid readers and aspiring writers busy!
And I am delighted to have my short story, Secret Librarian, included, along with pieces from fellow Platform One Writers – Michael Whelan and Doreen Duffy in the:
Red Line Book Festival 2012 – RE(A)D LINE WRITING
Venue: RUA RED, Tallaght
Time: 6-7pm
Tickets: Free but booking essential on 01-451 5860 or boxoffice@ruared.ie
South Dublin County Library’s Red Line Books Festival proudly presents an evening of new work by emerging and recently published writers from South County Dublin.
New work by emerging writers based in and around RUA RED, read and performed by actors from South Dublin theatre and film groups in a collaborative and inter-generational showcase event.
Writers, artists, theatre and film groups from a wide range of backgrounds and age groups are based in RUA RED South Dublin Arts Centre. Individuals and groups based in the building are producing diverse creative projects from poetry, novels, audiobooks, songs and digital media installations to short films.
The first ever Re(a)d Line Writing event introduces a collaborative production of this work to you, the audience.
Led by writer Sue Hassett and actress Rachael Dowling, Red Line presents a one-hour reading and performance of new work.
This event will be recorded for podcast by Curious Broadcast –
Curious Broadcast is a broadcasting space where communities and individuals can exchange and generate new ideas and imaginings for social change www.curiousbroadcast.com
These events are part of South Dublin County Libraries 4-day Red Line Books Festival.
15% discount at Rua Red Café from 7 to 8pm
An evening with writers Eileen Casey, Louise Phillips and Colm Keegan
Venue: Civic Theatre, Tallaght
Time: 8.15pm
Tickets: €5
Niamh O’Connor, Conor Brady and Sam Millar. Chaired by Louise Phillips.
Venue: Smock Alley Theatre
Time: 6.30pm
Tickets: Free but as seats are limited it is advisable to arrive by 6.15pm
Sam Millar is author of highly acclaimed crime novels, the most recent of which, Dead of Winter, is the third Karl Kane novel and Conor Brady, former editor of The Irish Timesand author of crime novel A June of Ordinary Murders.
Louise Phillips is the author of Red Ribbons and her second novel, The Doll’s House, is due out in 2013.
with John Connolly, Niamh O’Connor, Declan Hughes, Declan Burke and Mark Billingham
Venue: Civic Theatre, Tallaght
Time: 8-10pm
Tickets: €10/€8 concession
Susan Condon
