Máire T. Robinson

I was delighted to take part in an event at this year’s Red Line Book Festival at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght. Windows Into Other Worlds was a panel discussion about short stories chaired by Ferdia Mac Anna and featuring myself, Niamh Boyce (The Herbalist) and Michael O’Higgins (Snapshots).Our short stories all feature in the Hennessy Book of Irish Fiction — an anthology of the best short stories from the past ten years of Hennessy New Irish Writing.

When my story “Another Breakfast With You” was chosen for New Irish Writing in 2011, it was a real tuning point for me and a welcome boost of confidence. I’d had a few stories accepted for publication in anthologies prior to that, but the fact that this was published in The Irish Independent (with its large, national readership); the fact that I actually got paid for my story (which should always be the case but a lot of the time unfortunately isn’t); and the fact that as a result I was nominated for a Hennessy Award and got to attend a swanky event at the French Ambassador’s Residence (inspiring predictable Ferrero Rocher jokes a plenty) all made this a really special publication for me.

I welcome any opportunity to share my love of writing and reading short stories so this was a really enjoyable event for me. South Dublin Libraries did an amazing job of putting the Red Line Book Festival together. It’s one of those ones that keeps going from strength to strength each year.

[Photos by Rob O’Connor @Rocshot]