Kerrie O’Brien, reading at the Winter Warmers event in Cork this weekend, has also put together a book in aid of the homeless, writes Eoghan O’Sullivan

Mayo don’t always come back from the big show empty-handed.

I always had grand aspirations. I had the impulse to craft my own stories from a very young age. 

A special edition of The Stinging Fly journal may look back to 1916, but it really reflects the rude health of modern Irish literature, writes Marjorie Brennan

Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig 52 Patrician College Newbridge 51: Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig won the U19A All-Ireland Schools League in dramatic fashion, beating Patrician College Newbridge with the last score of the game at the National Arena.

Publisher turned author Thomas Morris talks to Tony Clayton-Lea about the joy and challenges of becoming a writer — and sibling rivalry as a wonderful motivating force.

The wait is nearly over and as Ireland’s World Cup campaign begins this afternoon, the green hordes spread from Bristol and across the Severn River will gather in Cardiff hoping for a win against Canada. For some, it’s been a journey more than a year in the making.

Here are five of the best things from the Irish arts scene to do this week.

Lisa McInerney has rattled the cage with her debut novel, The Glorious Heresies, an authentic portrayal of Cork City’s underclass, says Sue Leonard.

Sara Baume has never found writing easy, but a slew of awards have been apt reward for her toil, writes Colette Sheridan.

Find out what’s going on in the worlds of arts, film and culture before you start your weekend.

Magic Moment: At the launch of her debut collection of subtly-crafted short stories, Waiting for the Bullet, at Triskel Christchurch, Madeleine D’Arcy read the desperately sad Clocking Out, her story about a naive young woman, a lonely outsider, who gives birth in a field.

Test your knowledge of the year just gone with our entertainment quiz. The answers are at the bottom of the page. No peeking now!

See what book Ted Walsh, Anne Enright, Peter Sheridan, Theo Dorgan and Gary Cooke think should be in your Christmas stocking.

Cork International Short Story festival kicked off at Triskel Christchurch last night with a reading from famed US writer Richard Ford.

Young Skins

The literary stars came out last night for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in Dublin.

The shortlists for “the biggest celebration of Irish writing” was announced yesterday.

GOOD times for Denis Ring’s Blackwater Community School in Lismore.