Growing up in West Cork, I spent many days sitting by the water’s edge and often raised my eyes to find a seal head poking out of the water just offshore, observing me with interest. For anyone who’s lived by the sea in Ireland and the British Isles, the possibility of transition from seal to human actually sounds eminently believable.
Brian O’Sullivan
The Authors
Sighle Meehan
Winner of Poems for Patients and Goldsmith Poetry (2014), runner-up in Fish Poetry (2014), shortlisted three times in the Over the Edge, shortlisted in Cúirt, and longlisted in the Desmond O’Grady poetry competitions. Her poems have been published in Fish, Crannóg, The Stinging Fly, Boyne Berries, Skylight 47 and the Galway Advertiser. Her full-length, bi-lingual play, Maum, was produced by Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe for the Galway International Arts Festival in 2015. This is Sighle’s first attempt at short story telling.
Sheelagh Russell Brown
Sheelagh Russell Brown is the descendant (on her mother’s side) of an Orkneyman who came to Drummondville, Quebec and then to New Brunswick, Canada, in the late nineteenth century. She is descended from Irish immigrants on her father’s side. Her story is very loosely based on her Orkney great-grandfather.
Having taught for seven years in the Czech Republic, Sheelagh has been (for the past thirteen years) a lecturer in English literature at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS. She has published papers on the “shadow” of Havel in Beckett’s play “Catastrophe,” on memories of the Holocaust among European Roma, and on the use of wordplay in Hopkins’s “Dark Sonnets.” Her field of specialization is nineteenth- and twentieth- century British and European literature.
Marc McEntegart
Marc McEntegart is a Dublin-based writer and editor whose work is largely focussed on the games industry. His fondness for Celtic mythology comes from long summer drives in the passenger seat beside his grandfather.
When not writing or playing videogames, he spends his time playing capoeira.
Coral Atkinson
Choiréil Mac Aidicin /Coral Atkinson was born in Dublin, Ireland and came to New Zealand with her family as a girl. She is a graduate of the University of Canterbury and has worked as a teacher, educational journalist and in book publishing. She has also tutored publishing and creative writing. She held the Ursula Bethell Residency in Creative Writing at the University of Canterbury in 2015.
Coral has had fiction published in New Zealand, Ireland and England and won and been short-listed for a number of short story competitions. In 2005 her first historical novel, The Love Apple, appeared and was followed in 2006 by The Paua Tower; both published by Random House NZ. She co-authored the self-help book, Recycled People: Forming New Relationships in Mid-Life, Shoal Bay Press, 2000. Her picture book on New Zealand history, Magic Eyes; I Spy New Zealand History, was published by Reed in 2006. Her junior historical novel, Copper Top, published by DancingTuatara appeared in 2009. Her most recent adult historical novel, Passing Through, was released in 2014. It is soon to be serialised on Radio New Zealand.
Coral has also published various articles, essays and educational texts. She lives in Governors Bay on Banks Peninsula. She enjoys gardening and is an animal lover.
Marie Gethins
Marie Gethins’ creative writing has featured in the 2014 and 2015 National Flash Fiction Day Anthologies, Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine, Litro, NANO, The Lonely Crowd, Wales Arts Review, The Incubator, Circa, Words with JAM, Firewords Quarterly and others. She won or placed in The Short Story, Tethered by Letters flash, Flash500, Dromineer Literary Festival, The New Writer Microfiction, Prick of the Spindle and 99fiction.net. Other pieces have been listed in the Bristol Short Story Prize, Fish Short Story/Flash/Memoir, James Plunkett Award, Listowel Writers Week Originals, Inktears, RTE/Penguin, Molotav Cocktail, Lightship, Doris Gooderson, Over the Edge and WOW! Award competitions. Marie is a Pushcart and Best of the Short Fictions Nominee. Awarded B.A.’s in English Literature and Dramatic Art/Dance from U.C. Berkeley, she is working on her Master of Studies in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford. She lives with her family in Cork, Ireland.
Brian O’Sullivan
Brian O’Sullivan was born in county Cork, Ireland. On completing a degree at University College Cork, he went on to travel extensively. He is now based in New Zealand where he runs Irish Imbas Books with his partner and family but returns to Ireland on a regular basis. He writes weekly articles on Irish folklore and mythology, aspects of Irish culture and his own writing at his blog on the Irish Imbas Books website.
Brian writes fiction that incorporates strong elements of Irish culture, language, history and mythology. These include literary short stories (The Irish Muse collection), mystery thrillers (The Beara Trilogy) and a contemporary version of the Fionn mac Cumhaill/ Fenian legends (The Fionn mac Cumhaill Series).
The Celtic Mythology Short Story Competition
The Celtic Mythology Short Story Competition is an initiative established by Irish Imbas Books to promote the writing of contemporary Celtic culture-based stories and to encourage a more accurate understanding of the Celtic cultures.
This book, the Irish Imbas: Celtic Mythology Short Story Collection 2016 is the first output from this initiative. It is hoped to repeat the competition and the publication of appropriate stories on an annual basis.
Full details for this competition can be found at the Irish Imbas Books website irishimbasbooks.com
Prizes: include:
First Prize: $500 and story published in the next Irish Imbas Celtic Mythology Collection
Second prize: $250 and story published in the next Irish Imbas Celtic Mythology Collection
Third prize: $100 and story published in the next Irish Imbas Celtic Mythology Collection
Any kind of fiction short story can be submitted (action, romance, drama, humour etc.) as long as they meet the following criteria:
• Celtic mythology forms a fundamental element of the story (i.e. the characters can be characters from Celtic mythology, the action can take place in a mythological location, mythological concepts can be used etc.)
• Any Celtic folklore or mythological reference used in the story should be as authentic and as correct as possible
• The story should have a compelling theme, engaging characters etc.
Submissions for the next competition will be accepted from June 2016.
If you’d like to receive our monthly newsletter on future books and audio (some not available through the larger ebook stores), elements of Irish mythology, folklore, culture and the creative process we use, please feel free to sign up at New Release
Another Complimentary Book from Irish Imbas Books
To celebrate its two years of operation, Irish Imbas Books are offering a complimentary copy of Fionn Defence of Ráth Bládmha for a limited period. Copies of this novel can be obtained by signing up for the monthly newsletter at: irishimbasbooks.com
Fionn: Defence of Ráth Bládhma:
[The Fionn mac Cumhaill Series: Book 1]
Ireland: 192 A.D. A time of strife and treachery. Political ambition and inter-tribal conflict has set the country on edge, testing the strength of long-established alliances.
Following their victory at the battle of Cnucha, Clann Morna are hungry for power. Meanwhile, a mysterious war party roams the ‘Great Wild’ and a ruthless magician is intent on murder.
In the secluded valley of Glenn Ceoch, disgraced druidess Bodhmhall and her lover Liath Luachra have successfully avoided the bloodshed for many years. Now, the arrival of a pregnant refugee threatens the peace they have created together. The odds are overwhelming and death stalks on every side.
Based on the ancient Irish Fenian Cycle texts, the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series recounts the fascinating and pulse-pounding tale of the birth and adventures of Ireland’s greatest hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill.
A sample of what the reviewers say:
“An Ireland of centuries ago, threade
d through with myth and magic, but very ‘real’ for all that. Dark and at times very violent, it is balanced by affirming friendships and relationships, and a very strong female cast.”
“The violence and brutality of ancient Ireland presented on a very human scale, with real characters of depth and substance.”
“If you’re sick of elves, chivalrous knights and arcane quests like me, this is probably the most exciting and refreshing book you’ll read in a long time. Five stars!”
‘Powerful female characters are all too rare in literature. The druidess Bodhmhall, and her lover the warrior Liath Luachra will inspire current and future generations of women. O’Sullivan keeps a cracking pace in this, the first of his Fionn mac Cumhaill series.’
Other Books from Irish Imbas Books:
See the Irish Imbas Books website and blog at irishimbasbooks.com for contact details and updates on new and upcoming titles.
Beara: Dark Legends
[The Beara Trilogy – Book 1]
Nobody knows much about reclusive historian Muiris (Mos) O’Súilleabháin except that he doesn’t share his secrets freely. Mos, however, has a “sixth sense for history, a unique talent for finding lost things”.
Reluctantly lured from seclusion, despite his own misgivings, Mos is hired to locate the final resting place of legendary Irish hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill. Confronted by a thousand year old mystery, the distractions of a beguiling circus performer and a lethal competitor, Mos must draw on his knowledge of Gaelic lore to defy his enemies and survive his own family history in Beara.
Beara: Dark Legends is the first in a trilogy of unforgettable Irish thrillers. Propulsive, atmospheric and darkly humorous, Dark Legends introduces an Irish hero like you’ve never seen before. Nothing you thought you knew about Ireland will ever be the same again.
A sample of what the reviewers say:
“A great tale with all the elements of a “Who dunnit” all woven into modern and ancient Irish history and mythology.”
“Fantastic book - couldn’t put it down. A ‘MUST’ read! original Irish thriller, historical novel, mystery novel, best book I’ve read in years.”
“O’Sullivan has done an amazing job of introducing a culture that many would say is dying and using it as the basis for a unique and exciting thriller. I think I‘ve learned more about Irish history and the Irish language in this one book than I have in many years of school and television, without it once feeling forced or jaded.”
“A great mixture of a strong story and strong characters, dark (some very dark) themes and wonderfully evocative descriptions of the wild Irish landscape, interspersed with ancient Irish lore running throughout the book.”
“Excellent story, very well thought out, many twists and turns that weren’t expected. Thoroughly enjoyed the main character Mos and his no nonsense-take no crap attitude to life, he says what most of us often probably think but are too polite to say, highly entertaining!”
“O’Sullivan’s cast of international characters enliven this tale of archaeological intrigue, magic, murder and sex, set mainly in West Cork, Ireland. Dual story lines, across different time zones, reveal secrets of Irish spirituality, ancient lore and language.”
Available HERE
The Irish Muse and Other Stories
This intriguing collection of stories puts an original twist on foreign and familiar territory. Merging the passion and wit of Irish storytelling with the down-to-earth flavour of other international locations around the world, these stories include:
• a ringmaster’s daughter who is too implausible to be true — despite all the evidence to the contrary
• an ageing nightclub gigolo in one last desperate bid to best a younger rival
• an Irish consultant whose uncomplicated affair with a public service colleague proves anything but
• an Irish career woman in London stalked by a mysterious figure from her past
Available HERE
A sample of what the reviewers say:
“This is a delightful book of short stories by new author Brian O’Sullivan. The stories, which are set both in Ireland and New Zealand, are a mixture of tender whimsy and sharp irony, in a collection that will delight.”
“It’s fiction tinged with a bit of real life experience, set in Wellington, Ireland and France amongst other places. The stories range from chance romantic encounters in a small Irish town and haunting tales of tragic personal loss to bizarre encounters between a consultant and a career woman in Wellington and one man’s attempt to get to the bottom of his internet service woes. The finale was a thought-provoking tale that upended my perception of indigenous people’s land grievances, oddly entitled ‘Morris Dancing’ It’s said that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Au contraire, I liked the look of O’Sullivan’s book and the content proved to be good.”
“This is a delightful book of short stories by new author Brian O’Sullivan. The stories, which are set both in Ireland and New Zealand, are a mixture of tender whimsy and sharp irony, in a collection that will delight. It has all the clichés of Ireland, but a modern tone that interweaves the magical and realistic in a wonderful, whimsical mix.”
Liath Luachra: The Grey One
Ireland: 188 A.D. A land of tribal affiliations, secret alliances and treacherous rivalries.
Youthful woman warrior Liath Luachra has survived two brutal years fighting with mercenary war party “The Friendly Ones” but now the winds are shifting.
Dispatched on a murderous errand where nothing is as it seems, she must survive a group of treacherous comrades, the unwanted advances of her battle leader and a personal history that might be her own.
Clanless and friendless, she can count on nothing but her wits, her fighting skills and her natural ferocity to see her through.
Woman warrior, survivor, killer and future guardian to Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhaill – this is her story.
A sample of what the reviewers say:
“In the legends of Fionn mac Cumhaill, Liath Luachra is an intriguing name with minimal context but in Brian O’Sullivan’s adaptions she becomes a most fascinating and formidable character in her own right. Her backstory is a great read; brigands and bloodshed, second-guessings and double-crossings. This is an Ancient Ireland that is entrancing and savage, much like Liath Luachra herself.”
“I re-immersed myself in the very believable world the author creates, and couldn’t put the book down until I had finished it. It shed so much light on the character of Liath - her grim experiences and her strength in the face of adversity. I am now going back to reread the other books, which I am sure will be all the richer for a greater understanding of Liath. You don’t often come across such a compelling hero(ine), written with such depth and understanding.”
“This is a fast paced traverse through bush trails and battles with a female heroine who is commanding and fascinating.”
“As always, the plotting is riveting – full of twists and turns – and the action is full on, hell for leather. If you like Games of Thrones style dramas with a strong splash of Celtic culture, this is a book you’ll enjoy!”
‘Once again Brian O’Sullivan has created a thrilling historical drama. Liath Luachra provides strong ties to his other books (although each also stands alone very well). I think it’s the depth of knowledge and research that adds the extra dimension that appeals to me but I really liked the fast pace, the developed relationships and the writing style.’
Available HERE
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