Launching The Storms
- smcnic
- Nov 1
- 2 min read
Wow!
Today felt like one of those small, shining moments you look back on years from now and think: yes — that mattered.
I was invited down to Rathfarnham Castle for the launch of the latest issue of The Storms. I was lucky enough to have a story selected for the journal, and was absolutely blown away to be chosen as the featured prose writer for this issue — that phrase still feels surreal to write.
Rathfarnham Castle is not just a venue — it’s a place with bones and memory. To share my words in a place of such beauty and elegance, whose walls have heard so much down through the centuries, was a really special moment.
I read my story The Third Pint; a story that reflects grief, masculinity and the legacy of addiction. I’ve always felt it lends itself to the spoken voice — the rhythm of it, the pulse of the language, the emotional cadence rising as it goes — but today, to bring it to life on an illuminated stage, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, felt like a glimpse into a dream. For once I wasn’t just performing a piece — I felt like I was genuinely living inside it again, word by word.
Damien Donnelly, the Editor-in-Chief of The Storms, hosted the event with all the colour, kindness and creative brightness he’s known for. Rhona Greene, sub editor, is one of those editors who carries the perfect balance of enthusiasm and rigour — and it was lovely to see that in person and put faces to names.
We also had a beautiful variety of readings: prose from Fiona O’Rourke, and poetry from Billy Fenton, Nuala O’Connor, Sandy Seeber-Quayle and so many others. There was a sense of generosity between the pieces — different timbres, different textures, all complementing one another. The journal is so wonderfully curated, not just arranged.
To be amongst the talent in those pages is truly humbling.
I am eternally grateful to Damien and Rhona for all they have done.
The physical issue is a thing of beauty, and I will carry the memory of today with me long into the future.
Issue 5 can be bought here:
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