RTÉ Short Story Competition
Episodes
RTÉ Culture: Auntie and Anto and Ivy and Ava by Ian Feighery
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Auntie and Anto and Ivy and Ava by Ian Feighery, read by Ebby O'Toole-Acheampong To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at ht...
RTÉ Culture: Pool Story by Jill Kenny
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pool Story by Jill Kenny, read by Naoise Dunbar (pic credit: Eve North) To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https://www...
RTÉ Culture: A Spectrum of Sorrow by Angela Finn
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Spectrum of Sorrow by Angela Finn, read by Janet Moran To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https://www.rte.ie/culture...
RTÉ Culture: Kazakhstan by Kevin McDermott
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
RTÉ Culture: Kazakhstan by Kevin McDermott, read by John Olohan To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https://www.rte.ie...
RTÉ Culture: Labels by Mary O'Rourke
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Labels by Mary O'Rourke, read by Clare Barrett To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/1011...
RTÉ Culture: Corrán na Maidine by Niall Ó Siadhail
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Corrán na Maidine by Niall Ó Siadhail, read by Brídín Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https:...
Wolves by Peter McCauley
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wolves by Peter McCauley, read by Paul Mallon To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/1011/...
RTÉ Culture: Feeding Time by Sinéad Troy
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feeding Time by Sinéad Troy, read by Andrew Bennett To read, and find out more about, this story go to RTÉ Culture at https://www.rte.ie/culture/202...
RTÉ Culture: It Must Have Come First by Sage Omar
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It Must Have Come First by Sage Omar, read by Marty Breen (pic credit: Jie Gao)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
RTÉ Culture: Witness by Lynda McCarthy
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Witness by Lynda McCarthy, read by Eileen WalshSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Divination, by Stephen O'Reilly
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Divination, by Stephen O'Reilly, read by Andrew BennettSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Artifice, by Sharon Guard
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Artifice, by Sharon Guard, read by Ali WhiteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Turncoat, by David Ralph
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Turncoat, by David Ralph, read by Tadhg MurphySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dessie and Hopper, by Susanne Stich
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dessie and Hopper, by Susanne Stich, read by Ruth McGillSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chambermaid, by Fiona O'Connor
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chambermaid, by Fiona O'Connor, read by Janet MoranSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Other Órla, by Emer O'Toole
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Other Órla, by Emer O'Toole, read by Elaine O'DwyerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Once Upon an Algorithm, by Ryan Delaney
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once Upon an Algorithm, by Ryan Delaney, read by Peter HanlySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Rehearsal, by Alexis MacIsaac
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Rehearsal, by Alexis MacIsaac, ready by Tierra PorterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dead Bait, by Mattie Brennan
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dead Bait, by Mattie Brennan, read by Aaron MonaghanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Planning the Leftovers, by Sheila Barrett
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Planning the Leftovers, by Sheila Barrett, read by Bríd Ní NeachtainSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Warbler, by Caitríona McArdle
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Elaine O'Dwyer, in the words of the judges "a well-crafted, affecting tale...a lovely, gentle portrait of teenagerdom...
Mr Hoo, by John O'Donnell
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Emmet Farrell, in the words of the judges “a beautiful, exhilarating, and deeply touching story about an easily-led...
On Craigavon Bridge, by Peter McCauley
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by David Pearse, in the words of the judges a “darkly funny, relentless and surprising tale around a father and son’...
Artificial Intelligence for Psychotherapists, by Ilona Adams
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Camille Lucy Ross, in the words of the judges “a really funny, really timely, comic symphony around cyber love”Se...
You, by Nadine O'Regan
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Kathy Rose O'Brien, in the words of the judges “a smart, considered, lively vision of manipulation, revenge and glo...
It All Began With The Turlough, by Caoimhín Gaffney
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Aaron Monaghan, in the words of the judges an “extraordinary feat of imagination,” and “an original and funny f...
Breathe, by Robin Livingstone
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Marty Rea, in the words of the judges “a breath-taking, captivating and authentic immersion into a teenage boy’s ...
Off Season, by Jamie Samson
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Rory Nolan, in the words of the judges “funny and sad and thoroughly engrossing; a triumph of atmosphere”See omny...
Tessa and Viviane, by Julie Cruickshank
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Janet Moran, in the words of the judges “a captivating, poignant tale of a young woman dealing with the loss of her...
The Turkish Rug, by Natalie Ryan
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Andrew Bennett, in the words of the judges "a beguiling and subtly-observed portrait of hope, resignation and resilie...
Cherries, by Sara Keating
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story encompassing the intimacy and vulnerability of motherhood, and a mother's love for her sonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Strawberry Season, by Doreen Finn
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A teenage girl, driving to the south of France with squabbling parents and the family dogSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Big Why, Little Why by Brendan Killeen
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A father and son holidaying in Madrid overhear a couple in a museum discussing the merits of a particular masterpieceSee omnystudio.com/listener for p...
The Big House of Nora Toad, by Rachel Hynes
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A deserted house, an unlikely friendship and a small-town Ireland we can all recogniseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Coast of Africa, by Julie Cruickshank
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by an ancient landscape, this is a story of coming to terms with grief and a changing relationship between father and sonSee omnystudio.com/l...
Cnámharlach Uaigneach, by Nicola Crean
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A playful and surreal send-up of the fairy and folk tales we all know so wellSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Nice Cup of Tea, by Bernard Crowley
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The conflicting emotions that arise from a family member's death from a drug overdoseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fishing for Pike, by Antoinette McCarthy
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A coming-of-age tale of a mother/daughter relationship, this is a story that grew out of the writer's experiences working with young people during the...
Fire Starter, by Alan McCormick
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this story, a young man thinks he is Christ, a character ready to disrupt a familiar time and placeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
Scrappage, by Aingeala Flannery
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a story about memory and loss, the narrator clears out her dead parents' house and when the job is done she comes across a fixture in the house tha...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Night Call by Helen O’Neill
09 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Night Call - a doctor and her driver run over and badly injure a dog late on New Year’s Eve and seek help in finding a way to dispatch him merci...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Johns by Rachel Walshe
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Johns - Jenny, a young woman on the brink of romance with her colleague Emma, sees graffiti about ‘John and Cleo’ which leads her to meditate ...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: We Must All Be Kind by Hugo Kelly
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We Must All Be Kind - an isolated man, still grieving the loss of his parents, ruffles feathers on his work Zoom calls by dressing outlandishly - was ...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Pines by Paul Lenehan
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Pines - a suburban couple wage covert war on their neighbor who persists in occupying his (false) balcony looking down on their garden - was writt...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: A Hurt Like That by Paul Boyle
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A Hurt Like That - the story of a woman who has fallen off a ladder as she contemplates life, death and marriage and the delicious feeling of being on...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Muddlers by Gráinne O'Hare
02 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Muddlers - the story of two young Belfast women’s friendship forged by, among other things, a mutual obsession with Henry Joy McCracken, Wolfe Tone,...
RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: People Over There by Doaa Baker
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
People Over There - the story of Sura, a young Iraqi woman who grew up in Ireland, experiences culture clash as she visits her cousins in Baghdad for ...
Joint 2nd Prize in the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Windsea by Donal Minihane
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The joint 2nd prizewinner to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Windsea - the monologue of a misjudged teenager as he holds his landlord, who has ...
Joint 2nd Prize in the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Mamó by Sara Keating
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The joint 2nd prizewinner to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Mamó - the interior monologue of an incapacitated woman enduring a visit from her...
1st Prize in the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Third Day by Kevin Donnellan
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The winning entry to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Third Day - a young GAA player whose team have just won the senior final seeks to prol...
Guinness & Coke by Lochlainn McKenna, read by Éanna Hardwicke
10 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Guinness & Coke by Lochlainn McKenna one of the 10 Shortlisted Stories in this year's competition, tells of father-and-son weekend adventures by car t...
Tactics by Andrew Maguire, read by Ignacy Rybarczyck
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tonight’s story from the shortlist of this year's RTÉ Short Story Competition, Tactics, by Andrew Maguire, is “impressive, commanding and intense...
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Julie Cruikshank, read by Cathy Belton
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In Beneath the Trees, Where Nobody Sees, by Julie Cruickshank, a woman takes her daughters and nephew on a playdate to a park where there’s a tree t...
Everything will be Recorded by Sean Mackel, read by Lalor Roddy
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the 10 Shortlisted Stories from this year's competition, the story moves fluently between past and present as a man and his granddaughter in In...
The Brow of the Hill by Edel Moloney, read by Derbhle Crotty
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Brow of the Hill, one of this year's shortlisted of ten, "takes us to a snowy Sunday morning in December 1886 on the feast of St Sabas, a day when...
Neadú by Ceri Garfield, read by Bríd Ní Neachtain
03 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Neadú, by Ceri Garfield, is one of the first Irish language entries to make it to the shortlist of the RTÉ Short Story Competition in a few years. D...
Hands, A Downpour by Aengus Murray, read by Liam Carney
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of 10 shortlisted stories from this year's RTÉ Short Story Competition Hands; A Downpour by Aengus Murray, is read by Liam Carney. Taking the for...
The Shape on the Strand by Katherine Duffy read by Jane Brennan
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“A clever, delightful story with a rare mix of playful humour and deadly seriousness,” is how this year’s competition judges described The Shape...
Kissing Booth by Alan Walsh
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kissing Booth by Alan Walsh was awarded 2nd prize in this year's competition. Read on air by Bláithín MacGabhann, Kissing Booth is described by the ...
Flower Wild by Shane Tivenan, read by Ingrid Craigie
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The winning entry to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2020: Flower Wild - the story of the Irish woman, Violet Gibson, who shot Mussolini - was writte...