Last year, in a bold move, the Munster Literature Centre inaugurated the first Frank O'Connor Festival of the Short Story in Cork. It is the only occasion that his native city celebrated the writer in such a fashion. The event was a marked success, and now the second festival is upon us, running from Thursday until Sunday.
It promises to be a remarkable event. For the first time since O'Connor's death in 1996 some of Ireland's finest short-story writers will gather in Cork to honour his memory at the opening dinner in the Shandon Court Hotel. The guest list will include O'Connor's daughter, Ms Liadan
O'Donovan, Mr Benedict Kiely, Mr James Plunkett, Ms Val Mulkerns, Mr David Marcus, Mr Sam McAughtry, Ms Ita Daly, Ms Mary O'Donnell, Ms Geraldine Mills, Mr Brian Leyden, Ms Claire Keegan and Mr Tommy Frank O'Connor.
The dinner will be the launch-pad for readings, debate and discussion during the following days. On the final day Ms Harriet O'Donovan Sheehy, who was married to O'Connor for 13 years before his death, will describe her life with and without him.
On Friday, at the City Library in Cork, Mr David Marcus will read from his autobiography, Oughtobiography: Leaves from the Diary of a Hyphenated Jew, which will be published next month.
During a panel discussion on Saturday at the Shandon Court, the subject of whether short story competitions are "a racket" will be debated.
On Sunday the Pine Lodge Hotel, Myrtleville, will be the venue for a free mini-festival of music and performance.
The festival is supported by Cork Corporation, the Arts Council and the Irish Writers' Centre.
Next year, according to Ms Aisling Meade, of the organising committee, the Munster Literature Centre plans to create an international Frank O'Connor prize for a published collection of short stories. The prize will be initiated at next year's festival as the precursor to the O'Connor centenary celebrations in 2003.
Further information is available from www.munsterliteircom.net