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Tag Archives: short story
A New Direction, Part 3
I would recommend you read Parts 1 and 2 if you haven’t already done so. Part 1, Part 2. *** As the journey progressed, landmarks disappeared from sight in Davy’s rear-view mirror. First Carrickfergus Castle, its stone bulk impressively dominating … Continue reading
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Tagged and blue, Antrim Coast, Ballylumford Power Station, Belfast Lough, Black Cave Tunnel, Carrickfergus, Castle, claustrophobia, Coast Road, Cushendun, Drains Bay, Glens of Antrim, GPS, Italy, Jason O'Rourke, Jeremy Clarkson, Kilroot Power Station, King Billy, Larne, Lærdal Tunnel, Literature, Lou Reed, love, Marine Highway, Norway, Perfect Day, red, romance, sex, short story, Switzerland, The Alps, Top Gear, Waterfoot, white, Whitehead, William III, WPLongform, writing
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Well Raised
Aunt Amelia’s Wheaten Bread I’ll always associate the smell of this freshly-baked wheaten bread with my Aunt Amelia’s house in the countryside near Portadown. She was a dedicated baker, and made bread or scones every day. I have many fond … Continue reading
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Tagged Belfast, Buttermilk, Childhood memories, Countryside, Golden Syrup, humour, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, Portadown, Range, Sacred Heart, short story, Tea, Wheaten Bread Recipe, writing
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Chadwick at Large, Part 2.
*** Part 2 will make better sense if you’ve read part 1. You can read it here. *** 31st August, 2013. My Dear Readers, I have gone to the dogs! Yes, it’s true. I have, quite simply, let myself go … Continue reading
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Tagged Aintree, Belfast, Bodhrán, bones, buail an craiceann, burgundy, Celts, Cheltenham, Chilean wine, Cockneys, Cromwell, Donegal, Downpatrick races, Edgar Wankel, flat caps, G&T, Gaelic, gambling, greyhound racing, Guinness, Gullible, humour, Irish Music, Jason O'Rourke, Kinder Surprise, Literature, Mayo, merlot, Munchen, Oktoberfest, short story, Skol, Spoon-players, Sport of KIngs, The Silence of the Lambs, Westport, whiskey, WPLongform, writing
3 Comments
You are my Sunshine (200-word original version)
It‘s a spring morning, and I’m getting dressed. I always keep the bedroom curtains closed, and today there’s a beam of sunlight coming through the gap. I pull a scarf from the drawer, and dust particles fly up, illuminated in … Continue reading
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Tagged Belfast, dead children, fear, ghost story, guilt, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, secret police, short story, writing
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You are my Sunshine
It‘s a beautiful spring morning, and I’m in the gloom of the bedroom getting dressed. The rest of the house is flooded with light; the large windows give uninterrupted views of Rugby Road and the Botanic Gardens; fresh budding trees, … Continue reading
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Tagged 1973, Augusto Pinochet, Belfast, Botanic Gardens, Chile, Communists, denouncing neighbours, emigration, ghost story, guilt, infanticide, Jason O'Rourke, limbo, Literature, Military Coup, murder, Ormeau Road, Rugby Road, secret police, short story, Trade Unionists, Witch Hazel, writing
6 Comments
A New Direction, Part 2.
I recommend that you read Part 1 first, if you haven’t already. It’s here. ~~~ The next morning Davy woke up early. This wasn’t unusual; in fact it had been happening more often over the past few months. He put … Continue reading
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Tagged 2008, A New Direction, A2, Antrim, beach, Belfast, Black Cave Tunnel, bosses, Buzzwords, Carrickfergus, Coast Road, Cushendun, dehumanisation, diary management, Donegal, Down, drones, Financial Crisis, Financial Services, flirting, Fortwilliam, Gandhi's flip flop, Gaoth Dobhair, Glens of Antrim, Gweedore, humour, Jason O'Rourke, Larne, lead generation, Lehman Brothers, Life Insurance, Literature, love, M2, M3, M5, management, Northern Ireland, Part 2, sales targets, Satnav, short story, slaves, South Belfast, stress, Ulster Fry, Working Smarter, WPLongform, writing
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Chadwick at Large.
26th July, 2013 My Dear Readers, I have come across an unusual discovery, which I would like to share with you. As you know from reading my column, I am a familiar figure at Belfast’s auction houses, and (although I … Continue reading
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Tagged Anderson's Auctions, Anthropology, baldness, Basel, Belfast, diet, Flann O'Brien, German, Gunter Grass, Heidelberg, humour, Ich bin ein Berliner, Irish flute, Irish Music, Jason O'Rourke, Joyce, Koln, Literature, Miltown Malbay, Nietzsche, Roscommon, rotary engine, short story, Sliabh Luachra, Switzerland, Wankel, water quality, Willie Clancy, WPLongform, writing, Yeats
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A New Direction, Part 1
Davy Smyth’s life-changing event occurred at 3.27 p.m. on April 6th, 2012. He was late for his appointment, tired and irritable. He’d been on the road for nearly an hour already, and the journey should have only taken forty minutes. … Continue reading
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Tagged Ballycastle, Ballymena, Belfast, Boreen, Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, Contour lines, Cromac Street, Donegal, Easter, Egg Noodles, Errigle, Fiddle music, First World War, Gaoth Dobhair, Gasworks, Go Ahead, GPS, humour, Insurance, Jason O'Rourke, Literature, love, Madonna, Market, Ormeau Road, Radio 4, Rainbow, Rock Music, romance, Satnav, Shiraz, short story, Tank Warfare, Turf, U-Turn, Whitesnake, WPLongform, writing
6 Comments
The Ten Commandments
I am Belfast City Council’s Health and Environmental Services Department. Thou shalt have no other wheeled bin. Thou shalt not use substitute receptacles. Except thy recycling bin(s), and they shall be used for the appropriate materials only. Thou shalt not … Continue reading
Vernacularisms 