Galway is central character in new collection of short stories

Arts Week with Judy Murphy – judymurphy@ctribune.ie

Galway is the central character in a new book of short stories which is being launched in the city’s Monroe’s Pub next week as part of the Cúirt Festival of Literature.

Galway Stories from Inverin based Doire Press includes work from 20 writers, among them Kevin Barry, Mary Costello, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Julian Gough and Olaf Tyaransen.

All the writers who have contributed to the book have a Galway connection, explains its editor, Lisa Franks who has been working on this project for the past two years. Many city locations, such as Buttermilk Walk, Eyre Square, Parkmore and the Prom feature as do places in the county including Kinvara, Carraroe and Cashel.
American-born Lisa first came to Ireland in 2003, carried here by a love of Irish literature. She undertook a summer writing course at NUIG during which she met the man who is now her partner in life and work, the writer John Walsh.

Lisa has a background as a literary editor and soon after she moved to Galway permanently, they set up Doire Press – more by accident than design.

In 2007 John got a County Council grant to publish his second poetry collection, Love’s Enterprise Zone. Because Lisa had experience in publishing he asked her to get involved and she did, so they self-published the book.

John also runs a regular literary event in the city, known as North Beach Poetry Nights and literary competitions are held regularly as part of that, so the two then decided to offer a prize of publication for the winner.

In 2010 they published No Recipe, the debut collection of poetry by former Drimcong House owner and chef, Gerry Galvin, who died suddenly last month. They subsequently published his first novel, Killer à la Carte .

“Then we started taking it seriously and we are lucky in that most of the books we have published have received City or County Council grants,” says Lisa. This year they received their first Arts Council grant, which is for this book, and there’s another in the pipeline for later this year.

Galway Stories is an attractive looking book, with cover illustrations by Holly Mullarkey, whose husband Jim Mullarkey happens to be one of the contributors. The front cover evokes a rainy day in Galway City while still managing to be warm and inviting. Initially Lisa had intended using a photo of Galway for the cover but all the ones she contemplated, while lovely were very flat, she explains. So she discussed her ideas with Holly who submitted six paintings – the first of which was perfect for the front.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Trbune.