Welcome to the Munster

Literature Centre

Founded in 1993, the Munster Literature Centre (Ionad Litríochta an Deiscirt) is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to the promotion and celebration of literature, especially that of Munster. To this end, we organise festivals, workshops, readings and competitions. Our publishing section, Southword Editions, publishes a biannual journal, poetry collections and short stories. We actively seek to support new and emerging writers and are assisted in our efforts through funding from Cork City Council, Cork County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Originally located in Sullivan's Quay, the centre moved to its current premises in the Frank O'Connor House (the author's birthplace) at 84 Douglas Street, in 2003.

In 2000, the Munster Literature Centre organised the first Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival, an event dedicated to the celebration of the short story and named for one of Cork's most beloved authors. The festival showcases readings, literary forums and workshops. Following continued growth and additional funding, the Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award was introduced in 2005, coinciding with Cork's designation as that year's European Capital of Culture. The award is now recognised as the single biggest prize for a short story collection in the world and is presented at the end of the festival.

In 2002, the Munster Literature Centre introduced the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize, an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland's most accomplished story writers and theorists. This too is presented during the FOC festival. The centre also hosts the Cork Spring Literary Festival each year.

Workshops are held by featured authors in both autumn and spring, allowing the general public to receive creative guidance in an intimate setting for a minimal fee. In addition, the centre sponsors a Writer in Residence each year.

We invite you to browse our website for further information regarding our events, Munster literature, and other literary information. Should you have any queries, we would be happy to hear from you.

THE SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN SHORT
STORY COMPETITION

The 2011 Seán Ó Faoláin Competition Guidelines

First Prize: €1,500 (*approx USD $2000/ GBP £1300), publication in the literary journal Southword,
AND a week-long residency at Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat. 

Second Prize: €500 and publication in Southword.

Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a publication fee of €120.

*Currency exchange amounts via XE.com, calculated 11.04.11

The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre. If the winner comes to Cork to collect their prize, we will lavish them with hotel accommodation, meals, drinks and VIP access to the literary stars at the Cork International Short Fiction Festival (14-18 September 2011).

This year, Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat www.anamcararetreat.com is awarding a week-long residency to the first prize winner of the Sean O'Faolain Short Story Competition. Located just outside the colourful village of Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Anam Cara is a tranquil spot structured to provide support and sanctuary for people working in the creative arts. It offers private and common working rooms as well as five acres of walking paths, thirty-four nooks and crannies, a river cascades and a river island, gardens, and a labyrinth meadow. Editoral consultation is also available. The prize is valued at €700. (The dates of the residency will be arranged between the writer themselves and Anam Cara, and can be scheduled before or after the week of the Cork International Short Fiction Festival. Otherwise, the week can be scheduled for another time of the year, at Anam Cara's discretion.

Judge: For 2011 is author and Fish International Short Story Prize winner Ian Wild.

Ian Wild is a writer, composer and theatre worker from Enniskean, Co. Cork, Ireland and is the fiction editor for the forthcoming Southword Journal Online, Issue 20. In 2009 he won the Fish International Short Story Prize and received a literature bursary from the Irish Arts Council. His publications and broadcast work include Way Out West—a comedy series about the English community in West Cork for RTE Radio One; The Great Moodini and other stories—20 children’s stories also broadcast on RTE’s Radio One. He has a collection of short stories published by Fish: The Woman Who Swallowed The Book Of Kells and also a volume of poetry entitled Intercourse With Cacti (Bradshaw Books). His literary awards include the North West Playwrights Award, a short story prize with the Cork Literary Review and in 2005 he won a runner-up award in the Bridport Short Story Prize. Four of his highly successful musical comedies appeared in Cork Midsummer Festivals between 1998 and 2003:  The Pirates in Short Pants, Marco Polo’s Toilet Brush, Reds Under the Beds and Spaghetti Western.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, translated work is not in the scope of this competition.
2. Judging for this competition is ANONYMOUS. The entrant's name and contact details (address, phone number) must be on a separate piece of paper. Manuscripts cannot be returned. Entries should be typed.
3. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of €15, US $20 or £15. You may submit as many entries as you wish. Cheques and money orders must be made payable to THE MUNSTER LITERATURE CENTRE. Paypal link available below for Euro payments. VERY IMPORTANT: We DO NOT accept US Postal Orders as they cannot be redeemed outside of the United States. Pleae do not send cash. No entry form is necessary.
4. Closing date is 31st July 2011. All non-email entries must be postmarked before or on that date (i.e. entries posted before or on the date will be accepted after 31st July provided they are sent via airmail). Entries must be sent to The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition, The Munster Literature Centre, Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland (no postal/zipcode).
5. The winners will be announced at the Cork International Short Fiction Festival in Cork in September 2011. The winner of the first prize will be invited to read their prize-winning story at the festival.
6. If you require acknowledgement of your entry, you must submit a self-addressed stamped postcard. SASEs for international entries should include money for IRISH stamps. Please do not include SASEs with foreign stamps.
7. The Judge's decision is final. Due to the volume of entries we receive each year, the judge will not be able to reply individually to unsuccessful submissions. However, we will notify all entrants of the shortlist via our e-mail newsletter (click here to to subscribe). A shortlist will be posted on our website in September and the winner will be announced at the festival. Winners and shortlistees will be notified individually.
8. It would greatly assist us if you let us know how you heard of the competition (whether through mailshot, word of mouth, advertisements, newspaper, website, etc.) with your entry.

ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR EMAIL ENTRIES

Email entries should be submitted as follows:

1. Send your entry as a word document (files ending with ".doc"). Please ensure that you do NOT send PDF files or Word files marked '.docx'.
2. Include the story and cover letter as separate documents in the same email.
3. Pay your entry fee through Paypal (see link below). Paypal accepts Mastercard and Visa and guarantees secure transactions. All Paypal payments are in Euro.
4. In the body of the email, list your name, address, short story title and Paypal receipt number. If you have paid using a credit card under a different name, or from a different email address please include this in the body of the email as well.
5. Use the subject header "SOF 2011 Entry".
6. Email submissions to competitions(AT)munsterlit(DOT)ie or by clicking here.

_______________

The 7th Annual Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition 2009

Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Award Winner 2008 Julia van Middlesworth and Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award 2008 Winner Jhumpa Lahiri.Photo ©2009 John Minihan.

The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre.

Judge: For 2009 is Penguin author Philip Ó Ceallaigh.

First Prize: €1,500 (approx US $2000) and publication in the literary journal Southword. 

Second Prize: €500 (approx US $650) and publication in Southword.

Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a fee of €100 (approx USD $130).

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. The competition is open to original unpublished short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or less. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world.
2. Entries should be typed. The entrant's name and contact details must be on a separate piece of paper. Manuscripts cannot be returned.
3. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of €15, US $20 or £15. You may submit as many entries as you wish. Cheques and money orders must be made payable to THE MUNSTER LITERATURE CENTRE. VERY IMPORTANT: We DO NOT accept US Postal Orders as they cannot be redeemed outside of the United States. No entry form is necessary.
4. Closing date is 31st July 2009. All non-email entries must be postmarked before or on that date (i.e. entries posted before or on the date will be accepted after 31st July provided they are sent via airmail). Entries must be sent to The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition, The Munster Literature Centre, Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland (no postal/zipcode).
5. The winners will be announced at the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival in Cork in September 2009. The winners will be invited to read their prize-winning stories at the festival.
6. If you require acknowledgement of your entry, you must submit a self-addressed stamped postcard. SASEs for international entries should include money for IRISH stamps. Please do not include SASEs with foreign stamps.
7. The Judge's decision is final.
8. It would greatly assist us if you let us know how you heard of the competition (whether through mailshot, word of mouth, advertisements, newspaper, website, etc.) with your entry.

ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR EMAIL ENTRIES

Email entries should be submitted as follows:

1. Send your entry as a word document (files ending with ".doc").
2. Include the story and cover letter as separate documents in the same email.
3. Pay your entry fee through Paypal (see link below). Paypal accepts Mastercard and Visa and guarantees secure transactions.
4. In the body of the email, list your name, address, short story title and Paypal receipt number.
5. Use the subject header "SOF 2009 Entry".
6. Email submissions to competitions(AT)munsterlit(DOT)ie or by clicking here.

For further information contact The Munster Literature Centre, Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork or email the administrator at administrator(AT)munsterlit(DOT)ie.

Read Southword Journal

Issue 21A now online!

Seán Ó Faoláin
Short Story
Competition

Now open!

Pre-book Festival
Writing Workshops
at the MLC

4 Day Story
Workshops Coming
This September

Poetry International.org

MLC produces the Irish section of this prestigious poetry site.
Current poets: John F. Deane & Michael D. Higgins
www.poetryinternational.org

Best Irish Poetry in English 2010

Visit our bookstore here.

Festivals

The Munster Literature Centre hosts two annual festivals. The larger Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival takes place each September, while the Cork Spring Literary Festival, with varying themes, is presented each spring. Further information is available on our drop down menus.

Munster Literature Centre

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Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland.

Tel. (353) 021 4312955, Email: munsterlit(AT)eircom(DOT)net