Waterford writer Paul Edmondson is among those shortlisted for this year’s RTÉ Short Story Competition.
His story, ‘A Fork In The Road’ will be broadcast on Late Date on RTÉ Radio 1, this Sunday, 25th October, read by Catherine Walsh.
Paul is a founding member of the Waterford Writers group and his poems have appeared in Déise Voices, Waterford Writers Anthologies 1, 2, 3 and 4, Poetry for Peace, Crannog, regional newspapers, and magazines. He was awarded Highly Commended in the Maria Edgeworth Poetry Competition for the poem Featherlight.
Paul was born in Salford, England. His education and formative work experiences were in England before moving to Ireland in the mid-1980s. In Ireland, he worked in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. Now retired, he lives in Waterford City. It was after retirement that Paul pursued creative writing.
ABOUT THE STORY
“The genesis of the story came from an overheard conversation about a couple whose marriage / partnership had broken down,” said Paul. “They had two miscarriages, which seemed to contribute to the breakdown. Nevertheless, the couple stayed together.”
COMPETITION
RTÉ announced details of the ten outstanding new stories which have been shortlisted for the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2026 in honour of Francis MacManus, from almost 2,500 entries submitted. 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the RTÉ Short Story Competition which has been at the heart of new Irish writing throughout the four decades.
Paul’s story and the other nine short stories are published on rte.ie.
The stories will be read by actors on RTÉ Radio 1’s Late Date with Cathal Murray and Ray Cuddihy.
The awards event will be held at Parnell Square, Dublin, 7.00 pm on Friday, 30 October and will be broadcast live on RTÉ Radio 1. The event will feature readings of extracts from all ten shortlisted stories, each followed by a discussion with all three judges before they award their top prizes.
The winning writer will receive €5,000, while the second and third placed writers will receive €4,000 and €3,000 respectively. All seven runners-up will receive €300 each.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to attend the awards ceremony, with ticket details to be announced on Arena in advance of the event.
PAUL MOONEY
