Awards & Publications

2006:

In July 2006 a short prose piece was featured in County Lines, a portrait of life in South Dublin County, edited by Dermot Bolger and published by New Island.

2007:

In August 2007 I was shortlisted for a Hennessy Award for First Fiction following publication of my short story, Worm, in the Sunday Tribune New Irish Writing series.

2008:

My short prose memory piece A Small Tyranny featured in Flavours of Home, edited by Eileen Casey and published by Fiery Arrow Press with support from South Dublin County Council.
One of my poems was commended in the Padraic Fallon Poetry Competition 2008.
I was shortlisted for the Over The Edge New Writer of the Year 2008 Award for my story, New Amsterdam.
My poem To School and Back appeared in the anthology Night and Day, edited by Dermot Bolger and published by New Island.
In December 2008 I completed my first novel, Winter Journey.

2009:

In 2009 I was shortlisted for the Fish Short Story Award.
I was long listed for the 8^th Cinnamon Press Short Story Award.
In May I attended a six week workshop at Trinity College, Dublin, with the poet and story writer Michael O’Loughlin, who was Writer Fellow there.
I was granted an arts bursary in the amount of €1,250.00 from South Dublin County Council in May 2009, which helped finance work on my second novel Done, but with errors during 2009.
In May I was placed third in the People’s College Short Story Competition with my story, Dignity.
In June my short story Disenchantment appeared in the summer 2009 issue of Crannog magazine.
In August my story The Girl in the Window received a commendation in the 2009 Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition.
In September I was shortlisted for the 2009 Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition for my story The Bullfight.
My poem Suburban Sonnet appeared in Issue No. 8 of the Stony Thursday Book in October 2009.
In December my first full length stage play In The Dark was shortlisted for the Maguire International Play Writing Competition. The competition was organized by the Irish Classical Theatre in Buffalo, New York.
In September 2009 I undertook a rewrite of the novel Winter Journey which I completed in January 201o.

2010:

In February my short story Perpetuity won the inaugural Writing Spirit Award run by Writing4all.ie and was subsequently published in the anthology Writing4all, The Best of 2009 in April 2010.
In March I was selected to read a short story at the Irish Writers’ Centre as part of their Lonely Voice series of readings by emerging writers.
In April my poem Watching You Dress was published in Revival Poetry Journal, Issue 15.
In April my short story That Day was published in the Sunday Tribune, New Irish Writing series, ensuring that I will be nominated for a Hennessy Award in 2010.
My short story Boy and Man was published in Boyne Berries 8, Autumn 2010.
My short story The Girl in the Window was selected to appear in the Stinging Fly Press Anthology of new short fiction, Sharp Sticks Driven Nails, edited by Philip O’Ceallaigh, which was published in October 2010.
In October my one act stage play And the Word was Made Flesh was regional winner in the Page to Stage play writing competition run by the Library Services of the four Dublin Local Authorities, and judged by Lawrence Foster, Bernard Farrell, Catherine Brennan and Vincent Reardon.

2011:

In January 2011 a rehearsed reading of my play And the Word was made Flesh was performed in Ballyroan Library in Rathfarnham in front of a live audience.
In March 2011 I was selected to read a short story at the Irish Writers’ Centre as part of their Lonely Voice series of readings by emerging writers.
In April 2011 I attended the New Irish Writer, Hennessy Awards Ceremony at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, where I was nominated in the category Emerging Fiction.
In April 2011 I was shortlisted for a WOW Award by Words on the Street literary publishers in Galway for my story Etchings. The story formed part of WOW! Anthology published in June 2011.
I was granted an arts bursary in the amount of €1,000.00 from South Dublin County Council in May 2011, to help finance the completion of my second novel Done, but with errors.
In May 2011 my hour long radio play Story was shortlisted for the PJ O’Connor award by RTE Radio Drama Department.
My story Pressed Service appeared in Issue 7 of Wordlegs in August 2011.
My poem Still was Highly Commended in the iYeats Poetry Competition 2011 run by the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo, and adjudicated by Gerald Dawe and Enda Wyley.
My poem Sweet Reminiscence appeared in Revival Poetry Journal, Issue 20, in August 2011.
My poem At The Archive Reading Room appeared in Issue 10 of Boyne Berries in September 2011.
My poem The Kitchen in Winter appeared in Issue No. 10 of The Stony Thursday Book 2011 in October 2011.
Following on from being shortlisted in the PJ O’Connor awards 2011, I attended a radio play writing workshop in RTE in October, facilitated by Jesper Bergman, Dramaturg with the Royal Theatre Denmark, and RTE drama producers Aidan Mathews and Kevin Reynolds.
In October I read at the Brownbread Mixtape, Dublin’s premier monthly cultural event.

2012:

My novel Winter Journey was Highly Commended in the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair competition.
My short story The Shawl was longlisted for the Leonard A. Koval Memorial Award run by Labello Press.
My poem Gerry Asleep appeared in Issue 3 of Can Can Poezine.
My poem Broken Love was Highly Commended in the Bare Hands International Poetry Competition 2012.
My poem Still was featured in Issue 6 of The First Cut Literary Journal.
In May my story Worm was published by Ether Books as a download at iTunes Store.
In May my story Back to Love appeared in Issue 10 of Wordlegs.
My poems Paraphernalia and The Last to Fly appeared in Shotglass Journal Issue 7 in May.
In June my poem Life is Elsewhere appeared in Southword 22.
In July my story Perpetuity was published by Ether Books as a free download at iTunes Store.
My poem Tryst appeared in Issue 3 of Burning Bush 2 in July.
My poem Taking Simple Vows was Commended in the 2012 iYeats Poetry Competition in July.
I was longlisted in the Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition in July.
My poem Rotten Apples was published in Abridged 0 – 26 Rust in August.
My poem A Memory of Facial Hair appeared in Issue 12 of Boyne Berries in September 2012.
In November my story New Amsterdam appeared in the Galway Review.
In December my story The Girl in the Window was published by Ether Books as a download at iTunes Store.
In December my story Back to Love appeared in translation in Issue 3 of the German art and literary magazine WortMosaik.

2013:

In January my poem First Kiss appeared in Issue 13 of Bare Hands Poetry.
In February my poem Balancing Act appeared in Abridged 0 – 28 Once A Railroad.
In February I was longlisted for the Doire Press Annual International Chapbook Award.
In February I was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions series 2013.
My story The Shawl was the featured story at Long Story Short Literary Journal in March.
In April my story Dignity was published by Ether Books, available via Apple and Android.
In April my poem Decay appeared in Issue 15 of Bare Hands Poetry.
In April I was shortlisted for the Heart in Mouth audio poetry competition run by Fingal County Council.
I was granted an arts bursary in the amount of €1,000.00 from South Dublin County Council in May 2013 to help finance completion of my first poetry collection.
In May I was was shortlisted for the Doolin Short Story Competition.
In June my poem Chameleon was published in Abridged 0 – 32 Lockjaw.
In June my poems Food Lover and Town Foxes appeared in Issue 5 of Burning Bush 2.
In June I was shortlisted for the Fermoy Poetry Competition.
My story The Bullfight was published in Issue 4 of Roadside Fiction in June 2013.
My poem Earthbound was published in The Blue Max Review in August 2013.
In August I was longlisted in the Penguin / RTE Guide short story competition.
My story When the future happens was published in Issue 2 of the Lakeview International Journal of Literature and Art in August 2013.
My poem The Poet’s Work appeared in Issue No. 12 of the Stony Thursday Book in October 2013.
My poem God’s Gift was published in Issue 5 of The Poetry Bus.
I was commended for fiction in the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2013 in October.
My poem In my Day was longlisted for a WOW Award.

2014:

My novel Rising was Highly Commended in the Novel Fair 2014 at The Irish Writers’ Centre.
My poem To Youth was published in Crannóg 35 in February. This poem was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2015.
My story The Sommelier was placed second in the Leonard A. Koval International Short Story Competition run by Labello Press in March.
My story There is Magic featured in The Penny Dreadful, Issue 3, in March.
My novel Winter Journey was shortlisted for the Today Show/New Island Get Your Novel Published Competition.
My poem Life is Elsewhere was commended in the Galway University Hospital Arts Trust Poetry Competition in March 2014.
My poem A Map appeared in Ropes 2014 in April 2014.
In April I was awarded an Arts Council Bursary to complete my novel for 9 – 12 year olds Rising.
My poem The Poor appeared in issue 2 of the Honest Ulsterman in May.
My story The Creaseless Society was runner up in the Penguin / RTE Guide Short Story Competition in August.
My poem Song appeared in Boyne Berries, Issue 16 in September 2014.
In September I was Highly Commended in the 2014 Patrick Kavanagh Award for a first collection of poetry.
My poem The Man, The Boy and The Map won the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award for Poetry in October.
I was shortlisted in the James Plunkett Short Story Award in October.

2015:

My poem The Lovers in Wartime was featured in the Irish Times Review Section on Saturday 24th January 2015.
My Poem Orienteering was published in Crannóg Issue 38 in February. This poem was nominated in the single poem category for the Forward Prize 2015.
My poem Shed was published in The Honest Ulsterman, February 2015 issue.
My poem Beachcombing was featured in The Sea Anthology in aid of RNLI, published by Rebel Poetry.
My poem Two Foxes appeared in Ropes 2015 in April 2015.
My story The Creaseless Society was shortlisted for the Peoples College Short Story Competition in April 2015.
My poem Trinity appeared in Issue 5 of Skylight 47 magazine in May 2015.
I was awarded a bursary from South Dublin County Council to complete my first poetry collection After The Fall.
My essay The Paradox of Free Will, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the form was published in the June 2015 issue of The Honest Ulsterman.
I was longlisted for the Dermot Healy International Poetry Competition in August 2015.
In September my poem Capsized was Highly Commended in the Wild Atlantic Words Poetry Competition and was published in the winners anthology.
My poem Passion Spent was published in Issue 18 of Boyne Berries.
In September I received a Commendation in the 2015 Patrick Kavanagh Award for a first collection of poetry.
My story The Prize was longlisted for the Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition 2015 in September.
My poem New Year won the Bailieborough Poetry Prize 2015.
My poem Ouija was published in The Stony Thursday Book 2015 in October 2015.
Three of my poems feature in The Lion Tamer Dreams of Office Work, the first anthology from the Hibernian Poetry Group, launched by Macdara Woods on 20th October 2015.
My poem The Man, The Boy and The Map was published in The Raintown Review in October 2015.
My poetry film Red Line Haiku was featured as part of the Red Line Book Festival and shown at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght on 14th October 2015.
My novel for children , The Rising Son, was published in December 2015.
In December my poem Leave-taking was longlisted for the North West Words Poetry Competition and was published in Issue 5.
In December I was longlisted for a WOW Award for short fiction. Winners to be announced in January 2016.
My short story Flood was published in Issue 7 of The Incubator Journal in December 2015.

2016:

In January my story The Prize was shortlisted for a WOW Award. and was published in the WOW Anthology 2016.
My poem Persephone was published in Abridged – Floodland in February.
In February my poem Birthday won the Galway Rape Crisis Centre Poetry Competition.
In April my poem Unlucky in Love was shortlisted in the Phizzfest Poetry Competition.
In May my poems Night Bus and A Libation For The Dead were published in The Cafe Review special Irish Edition.
My four poem sequence Cursed was published in Live Encounters Poetry June 2016 Issue.
In June my poems Sleep and Funeral appeared in Issue 48 of the Ofi Press.
In August my poem The Death Of Idealism was published in Issue 23 of Bare Hands Poetry.
In September my poem In My Day was published in Boyne Berries Issue 20.
In September my poem New Year appeared in Issue 7 of Skylight 47.
In October my essay Vanity of Vanites – Kerouac, Writing and Notoriety was published in The Honest Ulsterman.
My short flash fiction piece Land Locked was published in “Sunset Drinking the Black Ocean” an anthology sold to raise money for Long Story Short Journal.
My poetry film Red Line Haiku was shortlisted for the 2016 Ó Bhéal Poetry-Film Competition.
My novel for 10 -14 year olds, The Rising Son, was shortlisted for the Carousel Aware Prize for Independent Authors in the Young Adult category.
In November my three poem sequence Gifts was published in Live Encounters Poetry Gathering December 2016 Issue.
My poem When We Were Small was published on the front page of The Irish Times on 24th December 2016.

2017

In February my poem Somewhere In Between was placed 3rd in the North West Words Poetry Competition 2016 and was published in North West Words Issue 7 in May 2017.
In February my short short story Boy and Man was published in Live Encounters Poetry and Writing.
My sonnet Stateless was published in Crannóg 44 in March 2017.
My poem Immanent was published in Skylight 47, Issue 8, in March 2017.
My poem Unlucky In Love was published in the anthology “A Face in the Mirror a Hook on the Door” by Three Drops Press.
My play Story was shortlisted for the Eamonn Keane Full Length Play Award at Listowel Writers Week 2017.
My poem Evening Commute was Highly Commended in the Oliver Goldsmith Poetry Competition 2017 in May 2017.
My poem The Couple was Highly Commended in the Robert Monteith International Poetry Competition 2017.
My poem Senseless was published in the June 2017 issue of The Honest Ulsterman.
My short story The Invitation was published in Issue 7 of The Lonely Crowd in June 2017, edited by Valerie Sirr.
In June 2017 I was awarded a bursary from South Dublin County Council towards the completion of my first short story collection.
My short story The Visitor was longlisted for the Strands International Short Story competition in July 2017.
My sonnet God Of Love was placed second in the Formal Poetry competition at Poetry on the Lake, Lake Orta, Italy in July 2017.
My short story Special was published at Fictive Dream in August 2017.
My short memoir The End of the Line was published in Issue 13 of The Incubator Journal in August.
My four sonnet sequence Broken Lights was published in the September Live Encounters Poetry.
My poem Windfall was published in The Honest Ulsterman in October 2017.
In November my first collection of poetry, After The Fall, was published by Salmon Poetry.

2018

My short story Festival was longlisted in the Galley Beggar Short Story Prize 2017/18 in January.
My short story The Creaseless Society was published in online journal Cold Coffee Stand in January.
My poem Worrywart was published in Issue 47 of Crannóg Magazine in March.
My poems Mornings and Busker were published in Issue 24 of Shot Glass Journal in January.
My poem Gulliver In The Glass House was published in Issue 6 of Flare in January.
My sequence Animal Life was published in Live Encounters Poetry March 2018.
My short story The Visitor was published at Fictive Dream in March 2018.My
My poetry collection After The Fall was reviewed by Eamonn Lynskey in Live Encounters Poetry in March 2018.
My poem Lessons was included in the Poetry Jukebox at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast. The theme was “What Else” to mark the 2oth anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement.
My poem The Sower’s Joy was published in the Kavanagh anthology “The Lea-Green Down“(Fiery Arrow Press), edited by Eileen Casey.
My poem Forgetting was published in Issue 10 of Skylight 47 in May 2018. This issue also includes my review of Emma McKervey’s first poetry collection The Rag Tree Speaks.
My poem Two Foxes was included in the Poetry Day Ireland Poetry Mixtape Vol. 2 by Lagan Online.
In June my essay Not Not I – A Brief Survey of Claire-Louise Bennett’s ‘Pond’ was published in the Honest Ulsterman.
In June I was featured poet at The Blue Nib – five new poems published.
I was shortlisted for the Write by the Sea Short Story Competition in September 2018.
My sequence Winter Songs was published in Live Encounters Poetry September 2018.
My poem Threshold was published in Boyne Berries Issue 23.
My short story Grand National Day at the Bull and Drum was shortlisted for the Over The Edge Short Story Competition 2018 in October.
My poem Birthday was chosen as Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2018.
My short story That New Girl was chosen as story of the month for November at Willesden Herald New Short Stories.
My review of June Caldwell’s Room Little Darker was published in the Blue Nib Issue 36 in December.
My long poem Different Trains was published in Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Vol 2 December 2018.
My poem Christmas Work was published at Poetry 24 on 20th December 2018.
My poem When We Were Small was featured on the Christmas Day edition of The Poetry Programme on RTÉ Radio One.

2019

My poem How You Lived Then was published in Issue 25 of Boyne Berries.
My short fiction chapbook, It’s Not Me, It’s You was the winner of the inaugural Southword Fiction Chapbook Competition and was published in September 2019 by Southword Editions.
I performed my Poem Evidence of Emotion on Poetry Day Ireland along with twelve other poets as part of an event responding to the exhibition “An Altered Land” by David Fox at Olivier Cornet Gallery in Great Denmark Street.
In January I was longlisted for the Cambridge Short Story competition.
My poem Knockout appeared in the Abridged Delete issue.
My poem Capsized appeared in Flare Issue 12 Summer 2019.
My short poem Komorebi appeard in Issue 29 of Shot Glass Journal in September 2019.
My poem Bully was published in Issue 26 of Boyne Berries in September 2019.
My poem Deepfake was published in Abridged Kassandra Issue in September 2019.
My short story Urgent and Important was published in the Honest Ulsterman in October 2019.
My four poem sequence Fear and Trembling was published in Live Encounters Poetry in December 2019.
My poem Googling My Parents was published in Poetry Ireland Review Issue 129 and was Poem of the Week at RTE Media in December 2019.
My short story Blood was accepted for publication by The Blue Nib and will be published in Issue 40 in January 2020.

2020

My short story Do You Play County? was shortlisted for the Doolin Short Story Prize in January.
My poem There will be time… was published in Boyne Berries Issue 28.
In April I was awarded an Arts Council Bursary to write a sequence of formal poems focusing on the theme isolation and impacts on community and family arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic. The poems with accompanying films began appearing on my blog and other social media in June 2020.
My poem Staying Home was featured at Pendemic in May 2020.
My prose poem Palimpsest was published at 100 Words of Solitude in June 2020 and published in the print anthology.
A recording of my poem Fear and Trembling is featured at the Poetic Phonotheque at Red Door Magazine.
My poem Ahimsa is published in Skylight 47, Issue 13 in June.
My story I Love You Now Leave Me Alone is published at Strands Lit Sphere in June.
My poem Excursion Into Philosophy was published in 14 Magazine from Vanguard Editions in July.
My poem Hard Swallows was Highly Commended in the Fingal Poetry Prize in August.
My poem Fifty Years Later appeared in the anthology “The Music of What Happens” in aid of Purple House Cancer Support.
Poetry film of my poem Staying Home made by film-maker Pete McCluskey is shortlisted for the Ó Bhéal Poetry Film Competition 2020 in September.
My poem Dog Days was Highly Commended in the Westival Poetry Competition 2020.
My poem Multiverse is placed second in the Allingham Poetry Competition 2020.
Three poems are published in The Blue Nib in October 2020.
Five poems from my formal poetry sequence “Freedom in Constraint” are published in the 11th Anniversary Issue of Live Encounters Poetry.
My short story Grand National Day at The Bull and Drum was published in the Honest Ulsterman in October.
My short story Do You Play County? was published at Fictive Dream in November 2020.
My short story The Tourist was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize 2020 in October.
I was granted an Arts Council Professional Development Award to take up an eight month novel writing course with Faber Academy in January 2021.

2021

My story The Creaseless Society was shortlisted for the Poetry on the Lake short story competition and was published in the anthology Off Centre.
My poem The Invisible House was runner up in the Trim Poetry Competition by judge Jean O’Brien.
Four poems from my formal sequence Freedom in Constraint was published in Live Encounters Poetry & Writing in January.
My poetry film Staying Home as featured in The Honest Ulsterman in February.
My poem Loss was published in Skylight 47 Issue 14.
My sonnet Belturbet Under Frost was shortlisted in the formal category of the Poetry on the Lake Poetry Competition in April.
In May I was featured on the Poetry Programme on RTE Radio 1, reading my poem Houses which was published in the Climate Crisis Anthology Empty House (Doire Press).
My poem In The Old Days was published in The Honest Ulsterman in June.
My sonnet Belturbet Under Frost was published in 14 Magazine, Series 2, Issue 2 in July.
In August I was awarded an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland to work on completing my novel work in progress.
In September I was featured on the poetry podcast Words Lightly Spoken reading my poem Small Things (for Catherine Corless).
My sonnets Night Brooding 1 & 2 were published in Shot Glass Journal in September.
My story The Green Man and The Fool was published at Fictive Dream in October.
My story Disenchantment was shortlisted for the Poetry on the Lake Short Story Competition and published in the anthology Haunted in November.
My poem A Purpose was published in Issue 92 of Cyphers in November.
My poem Planting was published in the anthology Local Wonders by Dedalus Press in November.
My long poem Remember was published at Live Encounters Poetry & Writing 12th Anniversary Edition in December.
In December my novel Riverrun was chosen as a winner (along with 11 other writers ) of the Novel Fair 2022. We will be invited to pitch our novels to agents and publishers at the Novel Fair on 11th and 12th February 2022.

2022

My sonnet sequence Nightbrooding 3, 4 & 5 were featured in the World Poetry Tree anthology in January 2022.
My poem Sun was published in Crannóg Issue 56, Spring 2022.
My poem Sour was published in Drawn To The Light Issue 5.
My poems Hydra and Cat and Mouse were published in Vox Galvia in the Galway Advertiser in February 2022.
My poem Kingdom was shortlisted in the Shelbourne/Irish Times poetry competition and published in the Irish Times.
My poems Staying Up, No Birds Sing and Metaxu were published in Live Encounters Poetry & Writing.
My poem Exile was published in Abridged 0 – 87 Not At Home.
My poem My First Infatuation was published in the Bangor Literary Journal Issue 17 in July 2022.
My poem Absence was published in the Black Nore Review in July 2022.
My poem The Last Days of Pompeii was published in Issue 137 of Poetry Ireland Review, edited by Gerald Dawe in August 2022.
My sonnet Belturbet Under Frost was featured in the anthology Romance Options: Love Poems for Today, edited by Leeanne Quinn and Joseph Woods, published by Dedalus Press.
My poem Hard Swallows was published in Issue 7 of Drawn to the Light Journal in October 2022.
My poems Everything, Shade and The Facts of Life were published in Live Encounters Poetry Nov/Dec 2022.
My poem Workshop was published in The Stony Thursday Book, No 18 Winter Issue, edited by Annemarie Ní Churreáin in December 2022.

2023

In February 2023 I spent a week at the Cill Rialaig writers retreat courtesy of Listowel Writers’ Week, where I worked on my new novel in progress.
My poem Encounter was published in Crannóg Issue 58, Spring 2023.
My poem Hibakusha was published in The Cormorant Issue 8, April 2023.
My poem Gaia was published in Skylight 47 Issue 17, May 2023.
My novel Riverrun was shortlisted in the Spotlight First Novel Award 2023.
I was awarded a place on the National Mentoring Programme with the Irish Writers Centre and will be mentored by novelist and short story writer Sean O’Reilly as I work on my new novel work in progress in 2023/24.
I received an Agility Award in 2023 from the Arts Council of Ireland as I work on my novel work in progress.
My poem Kingdom featured on the Poetry As Commemoration Poetry Jukebox at sites in Limerick and Derry during the summer of 2023.
My poem Multiverse was longlisted for the Plough Prize 2023.
My poem Night Bus was published in Drawn to the Light Issue 9, June 2023.
My poem Ghost was published in Drawn to the Light Issue 10, October 2023.
In November 2023 I had three poems featured in Live Encounters Poetry & Writing 14th Anniversary Edition.
My poem That Last Summer was published in Abridged 0-1816 in November 2023.
On 26th November I published my second full poetry collection Hare’s Breath with Salmon Poetry.