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Category Archives: Uncategorized
A View from the Abyss
This morning is different to the others. I awake lying naked on a plain of polished obsidian. It is lit by a dim, pale, light, as if the crescent moon were hidden behind a thin covering of cloud. The plain stretches … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged anxiety, Belfast, demons, depression, exploitation, fantasy, fear, fiction, foraging, homonculus, hope, insecurity, isolation, Loss of confidence, mental health, Obsidian, Optimism, Ormeau Rd, paranoia, petrichor, self worth, self-esteem, short story, succubus, suicide, The Errigle Inn, Vernacularisms, WPLongform, writing
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Guest Post: ‘Spencer, my Planter Moniker,’ by Brian John Spencer.
‘The civil tongue that masks the uncivil mind.’ Eamon met a minister. The calvinist cleric called him “Seamus.” My friend corrected him. The preacher cooly followed, “Same thing.” “What’s your name?” “Robert,” responded the minister. “Ok great, William.” My friend … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Belfast, Brian John Spencer, names, Nick Laird, Northern Ireland, Sectarianism, short story, Vernacularisms
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A New Direction, Part 6.
Previous parts are here. If you haven’t been following the story, this episode won’t make any sense. Could be fun anyway though. *** “Is it just yourself for breakfast then?” The landlady looked Davy up and down with cool disapproval, eyebrows raised. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Antrim, Ballintoy, Belfast, California, Carrick-a-Rede, Cushendall, Donegal, Gaoth Dobhair, Giant's Causeway, Gweedore, Ireland, Jason O'Rourke, Larry Bane Quarry, Rathlin Island, Rope Bridge, Satnav, short story, UTV, Vernacularisms, Whitepark Bay, writing
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Guest Post: ‘Pizzaphone’ by Tony Strickland.
Late Saturday night, South Belfast. A busy takeaway pizza restaurant. The manager answers a call, and recognising the voice from a few minutes earlier, puts the phone on speaker: There’s no toppings on my pizza! the man slurs, loudly. What … Continue reading
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Tagged Belfast, drunk, Pizza, Saturday night, South Belfast, speakerphone, Tony Strickland, Vernacularisms
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Not my Job
The end-of-terrace house is being done up. There is a high ladder up against the flat expanse of the gable end, and at the top of it a builder in a high-vis jacket is putting on the final layer of cream … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2002 World Cup, Belfast, Football, Gibraltar, IRA, Israel, Joe Bratty, Kimberley Inn, Kimberley Street, Ormeau Road, Palestine, Raymond Elder, Republic of Ireland, Roy Green, Saudi Arabia, Soccer, Spain, UDA, UFF
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Guest Post: ‘Home, Home Home, and the Telling of Stories,’ by Anthony Joseph Black.
‘HOME’ MAY BE WHERE THE HEART IS, but where does that leave ‘home home?’ I live in Belfast, but I am not from Belfast. I moved here at eighteen, just shy of thirty years ago, to attend Queens. I grew … Continue reading
One Moment
There’s a pink balloon blowing along beside the path in the Ormeau Park, left over from some charity event. The wee girl is delighted to find it, and lifting it runs along through the tall gates and onto the broad … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Belfast, breaking the speed limit, child, Jason O'Rourke, luck, Ormeau Bridge, Ormeau Park, Ormeau Road, panic, road accident, short story, taxi, Vernacularisms
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Guest Post: ‘Conversion’ by Colm Dore.
A staunch man, a marching man, a Belfast man, lies stately on his deathbed. A king, in his neat little castle, surrounded by a company of stocky, staunch, princes. The sons have beefy arms, with faded tattoos, but their faces … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Belfast, Catholicism, deathbed conversion, humour, Orange Order, orangeman, peace Wall
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Looking at the Menu: a Dialogue.
Scene: Supermarket car park. Bill and Margaret have just arrived, and are getting ready to leave the car. Parked next to them is an attractive young woman, who is eating her lunch. Bill: Here, before we go in, can I … Continue reading
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Tagged argument, Belfast, drama, experimentation, head full of sweetie mice, lunch, marriage, melter, sushi, Vernacularisms
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Guest Post: ‘Swimming Against the Tide’ by Linda Ervine.
Sitting on a shelf in my living room is a beautiful and meaningful gift that I was given by a friend this Christmas. It is an ornament in the shape of a log with seven tiny blue and white delft … Continue reading
Vernacularisms 