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Tobin Catherine on Thought for the day jasonoruairc on Where be the Blackbird? marymulrine on Where be the Blackbird? artisannbelfast on Thought for the day jasonoruairc on Thought for the day Top 5 Clicks
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Tag Archives: Jason O’Rourke
Ten Minutes
A place of soft extremes.Gentle strum of guitar some days;Low conversationMuted coughsFlickering eyesFixed stares.One day the wild clang of a bellBrings all hands together in hope. Your name, called briskly,Summons you to the controlled zone for kind abuse of cells.Friendly … Continue reading
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Tagged Belfast, Belfast City Hospital, cancer, Hospital, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, poetry, radio therapy, radiotherapy, Vernacularisms, Waiting room, X rays
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Where be the Blackbird?
I know where he be. Next door’s front garden, head cocked to one side, orange beak grasping an almost-ripe cherry from my tree. I look round at the tree: the slender branch, once perilously bowed under the weight of its … Continue reading
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Tagged Belfast, birds, Blackbird, cherries, fiction, fruit, Ireland, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, Ormeau Road, short story, Vernacularisms, writing
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The Appointment
Who the fuck is Jerome? No idea. No matter how deep I scrabble around in the usually-fertile soil of my memory, there is nothing there. I don’t recall meeting anyone called Jerome. Ever. But there it is: a reminder on … Continue reading
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Tagged appointment, Autocorrect, Belfast, Bellini, faith, frape, Jason O'Rourke, Jerome, King's Head, Library, Literature, phone, Queen's University, relationships, Saint, short story, students, Vernacularisms, WPLongform, writing
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No Laughing Matter
Nobody knew where it came from, or how it spread so far, so quickly. It appeared on three continents in the course of one day; a mark on the calendar that became portentously known as Day 1. It was soon … Continue reading
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Tagged Azerbaijan, Belfast, Benny Hill, border, Cobh, Cork, Ebola, epidemic, faith, Father Ted, Fawlty Towers, First Minister, Frank Carson, Hugh Grant, humour, Hyena, Ireland, Jason O'Rourke, Jim Davidson, Kitchener, LAD, laughter, Literature, Long Kesh, loyalists, Malone Road, measles, Mexico City, Mrs Brown's Boys, New York Times, Only Fools and Horses, Outbreak, pandemic, Pink Panther, politics, Porridge, Rathlin Island, Red Dwarf, republicans, Shoot-to-kill, short story, Steve Martin, Stormont, Sydney, UTV, Vernacularisms, violence, Virus, WPLongform, writing
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Today’s Existentialist Rant
Driving back up the road after dropping my daughter off at school, I notice a middle-aged woman wrangling a blue wheelie bin into position outside her back gate. She looks miserable, the corners of her mouth turned down into a substantial, world-hating … Continue reading
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Tagged Ants, Belfast, Carolan Road, Dead Cat, death, Existentialism, exploitation, futility, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, Mother Nature, Ormeau Road, poverty, Queen, Radiohead, rant, Selfishness, short story, Vernacularisms, writing
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Cars, Ormeau Road, Part 2.
Black Maserati, revving; stuck in traffic.
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Tagged Belfast, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, Maserati, Ormeau Road, short story, Six-word story, Vernacularisms, writing
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Belfast, from Cave Hill
Dreamers• schemers• bathroom cleaners• pipers• snipers• windscreen-wipers• typists• rascists• papists • rapists• spankers• bankers• wankers• outflankers• peace-makers• bakers• risk-takers• orgasm-fakers• fighters• writers• pillow-biters• shite-talkers• stalkers• hill-walkers• hawkers• porkers• growlers• prowlers• full-moon howlers• petty thieves• kickers of leaves• healers• peelers• drug-dealers• arse-feelers• dog-breeders• … Continue reading
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Tagged Belfast, Cave Hill, Jason O'Rourke, rhyme, rhythm, short story, Vernacularisms, writing
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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
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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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Vernacularisms 