This weekend, Sunday Miscellany on RTE Radio 1, dips into their 2023 and 2024 archive from the Belfast Book Festival. Among the five chosen is my story ‘Queen of the South’.
The programme…
Café by Wendy Erskine
Where Are You From? by John Toal
Swift Boxes by Neil Hegarty
Postscript and The Map, two poems by Marie Howe
Queen of the South by Paul McVeigh
with music from Eimear McGeown, Donogh Hennessy, Jack Warnock, and Trú
You can also get my radio short story collection, I Hear You, out now.
“A rare date for Julie and her husband Frankie turns sour when a toddler in the restaurant is let roam free, uncontrolled. Their own children are being minded by auntie Terry. On the way into Belfast city centre earlier, Julie and Frankie had passed near The Bray, where when she was a child her father had been shot dead for no reason at all.”
You can listen to my latest short story ‘The Bray’ read by this year’s Bafta-nominee, Roisin Gallagher.
The story was commissioned by Cliodhna Ni Anluain as part of the ‘Spoken Word’ series for RTE Radio 1 which includes Anne Enright, Lisa McInerney and Donal Ryan.
My story for RTE 1 series, Spoken Stories: The State of Us, has a broadcast date – Sunday 3rd November. ‘The Bray’ is voiced by Bafta-nominated Northern Irish actress, Roisin Gallagher. Roisin loved my play, Big Man, and I loved her in The Dry and The Lovers, so it was brilliant we could work together. Produced by the wonderful Cliodhna Ni Anluain.
“RTÉ Radio 1’s Spoken Stories trilogy of new stories, begins its concluding season on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday 6th October at 7.30pm.
Like its other two seasons, these stories will be accompanied by an extended podcast of each episode.
The 36 stories across Spoken Stories were commissioned by RTÉ from some of the most exciting and imaginative present day writers associated with Ireland and the short story.
Through their stories, the writers navigate the breadth of what it is to be alive in the world from the perspective of our own time.
The themes of the 3 series that make up Spoken Stories areIndependence, Creatures of the Earth and The State of Us.
The latest 12 writers to contribute are William Wall, Mia Gallagher, Carlo Gébler, Nuala O’Connor, Rebecca Miller, Adrian Duncan, Niamh Campbell, Melatu Uche-Okorie, Cauvery Madhaven, Elaine Feeney, Colm Ó Snodaigh and Paul McVeigh.
Among the actors voicing their stories are Barry Ward, Claire Dunne, Peter Coonan , Ciarán McMenamin, Gabriel Adewusi, Mark O’Regan, Marcus Lamb, and Roisin Gallagher.
The stories are in English and in Irish, as well as by writers whose first language is neither Irish nor English. They are voiced by a cast of actors and some of the contributing writers.
This RTÉ Radio 1 original concept is made with the support of Coimmisiún na Méan.
Spoken Stories, RTÉ Radio 1 from Sunday 6th October at 7.30pm – listen to more from Spoken Stories here.“
Read more on RTE here.
Paul McVeigh 