BALLYBAY WRITER’S WETLANDS TALE EARNS NATIONAL SUCCESS

Storytelling is alive and well in Co. Monaghan, as evident by a recent entry to a national story writing competition called Stories from the Waterside. A short story written by Fearghal Duffy from Ballybay was selected from almost 500 entries as a winner and has also been published in the Stories from the Waterside anthology launched during National Heritage Week, a unique collection of personal stories connected with Ireland’s rivers, lakes, wetlands and coastal areas.

The competition ran in April and May during the Covid-19 lockdown. It focused on collecting stories based on people’s memories and reflections around their local river, lakes, wetland and coastal areas but also encouraged writers to share a tale or a piece of folklore inspired by a favourite waterbody.

Fearghal’s story called ‘Finn mac Cumhaill and the Wetlands’ was one of twenty winning entries selected from all of the short stores submitted. It re-magined the legendary hunter/warrior as a young man who had an important life lesson to take away from the wetlands of Ballybay. Speaking about the competition, …