Galway Then, Galway Now

 

Galway Then, Galway Now is a celebration of Galway writers published in Crannóg Magazine since its inception 18 years ago. The anthology also honours Galway's status as a European Capital of Culture in 2020. From Wordonthestreet the issue contains the work of 104 writers. The attractive cover features Long Walk by Patricia Burke Brogan and Quay Street by Wordonthestreet. Burke Brogan's cheerful poem November is included. President Michael D. Higgins commends Crannóg Magazine on its service to literature in a foreword message. Crannóg Magazine is edited by Sandra Bunting, Ger Burke, Jarlath Fahy and Tony O'Dwyer.

Nuala O'Connor's Napoli Abú is a very entertaining story, focusing on the conversation between two middle-aged women on a trip to Naples. Claire Loader's The Workhouse is a haunting and poetic description of the past. Moya Roddy's Poetic Justice is a portrait of a young woman on the fringe of poetry and society. Maureen Gallagher, Patrick Hewitt and Aoibheann McCann are just three of the many other fine fiction writers included.

Daedalus Speaks To Icarus, His Son is a re-imagining of the myth by Liz Quirke. Of the women who mourn the idol she writes 'they can cry for you and remember/your newborn skull warm in the palm of their hand.' Majella Kelly's beautiful Dragon Pearls finds romance in jasmine and a first meeting. Noelle Lynskey's Laughter Lines is a tribute to a loved one quoting Charlie Chaplin's line 'To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it!' Emily Cullen's The Innocent Cosmopolitan is a striking poem about a backhanded compliment and Rachel Coventry's Reunion at Ceannt Station is a singing villanelle. 

And this is just a glimpse between the covers. The creative spirit of the west is wide awake and stirring in these pages. Galway Then, Galway Now can be ordered in time for Christmas here. It would be a perfect book to read while curled up by the fire over the festive season, or to peruse with a cup of tea on a January morning.