Cork Short Story Festival

The Cork Short Story Festival is an event which takes place every year in Cork, highlighting the city's rich literary scene. Here, Kerry O'Sullivan writes about one event which is part of the festival, and one which regularly happens in the city, to compare how the festival's presence alters Cork's artistic landscape.

The Underground Loft Open Mic Poetry Night

The Underground Loft Open Mic is held on Tuesdays from 8pm on a fortnightly basis, in the upstairs area of The Liberty Bar here in Cork City. I attended the one held on the 15th of October, with two friends. As total newcomers, we were slightly nervous and unsure of what to expect, but we quickly became comfortable due to the buzzing, warm atmosphere. It was exceedingly busy, with the hum of chatter and low music in the air. The space was cluttered, with as many stools, armchairs, couches and tables as could be fit into the loft as possible, all directed toward the top of the room where a stool and microphone stood waiting. We got drinks and took our seats close to the staging area. The event was scheduled to begin at 8PM, but I should have expected that that was more of a suggestion as to when to leave your home for the event – still, it allowed us to secure seats; others were not so lucky. Around 8:45PM, everyone was invited to the top of the room to take a piece of paper and some crayons if they wished, to draw anything that came to mind as the poems were being read out. I thought this to be unique and charming; a fun activity that relaxes the environment somewhat for the performer. Instead of every pair of eyes in the room on you as you engage in this intensely vulnerable activity, it is closer to just two thirds. Moreover, there is a silliness to the idea of so many adults sitting in a room drawing and colouring together, one that, as a first-time attendee, I enjoyed as it made the event a lot less intimidating.

The poetry readings began shortly afterwards. There was an impressive range of poems presented. The founder of the Underground Loft, Ciarán Shanahan, went first. He welcomed everyone to the event, interspersing references that long-time attendees and friends found funny. Then, he sat down on the stool and produced a mask made out of burlap material, discussing how he has been writing as a persona of late, which the mask represented. It was fascinating as someone who does not write poetry (but enjoys it) to get a glimpse into the creative process of the young poets in Cork. After he read his pieces, more people went, reading between one and three poems each. There were poems about deep heartbreak and the hedonistic debauchery that sometimes follows, about new love, about one’s parents’ relationship, and a humorous one about when your retainer cuts your mouth. One person read a few poems penned by a different author, emphasising the performance aspect of live reading, projecting and quietening his voice as needed, warping the tone in order to convey different emotions and the rise in adrenaline in the poems he chose. It is a fantastic opportunity for exposure as an artist, as when I was there it was mentioned that The Underground Loft had been invited to perform at another poetry event. They were to send two of their best to read, who would be paid as well for their performances.

When I asked my friend what her impression of the event was, she commented on the welcoming atmosphere, which struck me too. There was a fifteen minute break around 9:15PM, in which chatter instantly erupted. The people who had read were asked questions and paid compliments on their work, while others caught up with one another and discussed what they were thinking about reading after the break. My friends and I, despite not knowing anyone at the event previously, felt comfortable engaging in the conversation – and we are a shy bunch, I promise you that. Everyone there was exceedingly friendly, supportive of one another, and respectful whilst someone was reading. Some incredibly vulnerable poems were read, about topics that are not typically talked about amongst young people, and I found it amazing that there was a safe space like this in Cork city where people are able to express themselves earnestly and honestly without a trace of bashfulness. Comments and jokes were tossed up to the top of the room about motifs or themes that appeared in certain people’s works – often teasing in nature, but there is something heartwarming to a writer about their work being memorable enough to be teased about at all (all in good fun, of course). You can find information on when the next open mic night is, pictures from the event, and information on special upcoming poetry events such as the Winter Warmer festival at The Underground Loft page on Instagram. If you wish to get involved in the arts scene in Cork, to gain practice reading your work in front of an audience, or to learn something about contemporary poetry, then I cannot recommend The Underground Loft enough.

Edna O’Brien (Lanann Literary Video Series)

The Cork International Short Story Festival is an annual festival held in October, produced by the Munster Literature Centre. This year it ran for four days (the 16th to the 19th), with a total of sixteen events. On each day of the festival the first event started in the early afternoon, and the last event began at 9PM, so that there was an event that could hopefully suit any literature fan’s schedule. There was a combination of free events and ticketed events, but these paid events were still cheap, the price staying steadily at €5 per person. The events were held between Cork City Library and Cork Arts Theatre. My friend and I attended the Edna O’Brien (Lanann Literary Video Series Event) held in Cork City Library at 2:30PM on Friday the 18th of October. Plastic chairs were set up in the main room of the library, directed toward a large television. To the right of this was a podium where one could address the crowd. A decent amount of people were in attendance, mostly either retirees or students, as it was a weekday afternoon. Before the videos started, Patrick Cotter, the festival’s director, spoke. He said how Edna O’Brien had tragically passed away earlier this year, and that this Short Story Festival would be the first one without her as a speaker in ten or twelve years; because of this, they decided to hold this event as a way to honour O’Brien and her work. The video we were shown was from an event in New Mexico, U.S., in 2003, and provided by the Lanann Foundation. It included O’Brien reading her short story and an excerpt from her novel, before being interviewed by Tobias Wolff. To watch this video for yourself, or if you would like to see what else they have in their archive (which includes readings by Séamus Heaney) have a look at the Lanann Foundation website.

O’Brien opened with a reading of her short story “Brother”, from her 1990 collection Lantern Slides. It is a story about a brother and sister’s incestuous relationship, which turns into the sister fantasising about murdering her brother’s wife-to-be. Maisie, the sister, acts as a mother and a wife to her brother in this disturbing piece of fiction. The story also deals with themes such as the hardships and claustrophobia that can often come with living in a small, rural community. When O’Brien performed this piece – and it was certainly a performance – she got entirely into character. She spoke rapidly, gesticulating wildly as she did, perfectly conveying the narrator’s homicidal thoughts, resentment, and obsession. O’Brien was reading to a large audience, and their reactions to her writing were audible on the video, which was interesting as I was gasping at the same points as they were over twenty years later.

She then read an excerpt from her novel Down by the River (1996). Before reading, she discussed her inspiration for the novel, and why she felt she had to write it. The plot is based on a harrowing case in which a girl was raped by her father’s friend, and when she went to England to get an abortion she was expedited back to Ireland. The country was completely divided on whether or not she should have been allowed to get an abortion. O’Brien then wrote this novel in order to make an argument for the legalisation of abortion in Ireland. It was deeply uncomfortable and upsetting to listen to O’Brien read from her novel. The writing was incredibly graphic and visceral. It told the story of how a girl was raped by her father multiple times, her reflecting upon it and trying to deal with such a violent crime, and the ways in which it effected her. O’Brien was extremely emotional when reading this heartbreaking tale, understandably getting choked up at times. Both pieces she read were amazingly well-written, insightful and depressing.

Finally, was the interview portion of the video. Tobias Wolff was the interviewer, and he was well-prepared with excellent questions. O’Brien spoke slower and more thoughtfully than when she was performing a reading, evidently a very articulate and intelligent woman. She discussed the dark subject matter she often wrote about, and how her family were ashamed of her controversial works – some of her books were even previously banned in Ireland. She went on to mention how her mother had censored her own copies of O’Brien’s novels. O’Brien specifically referred to The Country Girls (1960), how her mother had blacked out every instance of profanity or what she deemed to be obscenity, despite the fact that O’Brien dedicated that novel to her as she deemed it to be relatively tame. I thought that the event was a wonderful memorial to an eloquent writer who shed light on taboo topics in Irish culture. I highly recommend attending an event at next year’s Cork International Short Story Festival, so be sure to keep an eye on their website.

WORKS CITED

(Photo from Edna O'Brien event taken by Kerry O'Sullivan)

“Cork International Short Story Festival.” Corkshortstory.net, 2024, www.corkshortstory.net/index.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024 ‌

“TheUndergroundLoft (@The.undergroundloft) • Instagram Photos and Videos.” Instagram.com, 2020, www.instagram.com/the.undergroundloft/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

“Lannan Foundation.” Lannan Foundation, 2015, lannan.org/.