Francis MacManus was an Irish novelist and broadcaster.
Life and writings
Born in Kilkenny, MacManus was educated in the local Christian Brothers school and later at St. Patrick's College, Dublin and University College Dublin. After teaching for eighteen years at the Synge Street CBS in Dublin, MacManus joined the staff of Radio Éireann in 1948 as Director of Features. MacManus began writing while still teaching, first publishing a trilogy set in Penal times and concerning the life of the Gaelic poet Donncha Rua Mac Conmara comprising the novels Stand and Give Challenge, Candle for the Proud and Men Withering. A second trilogy followed which turned its attention to contemporary Ireland: This House Was Mine, Flow On, Lovely River, and Watergate. The location was the fictional "Dombridge", based on Kilkenny, and deal with established themes of Irish rural life: obsessions with land, sexual frustration, and the trials of emigration and return. Other major works include the novelThe Greatest of These, concerning religious conflict in nineteenth-century Kilkenny, and the biographies Boccaccio and Saint Columban. In his last two novels, MacManus descended into the depths of theological debate: The Fire in the Dust was followed by American Son, a remarkable dialogue between conflicting modes of belief which reveals the strong influence of Roman Catholicism on the author. MacManus died in Dublin 27 November 1965 at the age of 56, from a heart attack. The RTÉ Francis MacManus Short Story Award was established in his memory in 1985.
Seal Ag Ródaíocht/On the Road for a Time, travel essays.
St Columban, biography.
The Years of the Great Test, history.
The RTÉ Radio 1 Francis MacManus Short Story Award
The competition is run by RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, in memory of Francis MacManus and is open to entries written in Irish or English from authors born or resident in Ireland. The total prize fund is €6000, out of which the winning author receives €3,000. Sums of €2,000 and €1,000 are awarded to the second and third prize winners. The number of entries is typically in excess of 800 stories out of which a shortlist of 25 is compiled. Each of the 25 short-listed stories is read and recorded by professional actors. The judges listen to these recordings and read the stories to consider their broadcasting and short story qualities before they select the winning entries. The recordings are broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 following the announcement of the competition winners. According to the entry form, "Over the past 25 years the competition has proved to be a launching pad for several new and emerging Irish writers and continues to offer a platform for the best of contemporary Irish fiction." Since 1985 over 500 stories from the competition have been broadcast. Among the names who have featured and who have gone on to win acclaim in Ireland and internationally are Cónal Creedon, Claire Keegan, Molly McCloskey, Anthony Glavin, Mary O'Donnell and Ivy Bannister. The panel of three judges for the 2012 competition is: Brendan Barrington, a Senior Editor at Penguin Ireland and editor of The Dublin Review; John MacKenna, author, and winner of the Irish Times, Hennessy and Cecil Day-Lewis awards as well as a Jacob's Award for his radio documentaries on Leonard Cohen; and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, novelist and short-story writer. Past judges include novelists, Joseph O'Connor and Anne Enright. The competition is organised by veteran RTÉ producer, Seamus Hosey.
Past Winners of the RTÉ Radio 1 Francis MacManus Short Story Award
1993
Winner: "After the Ball" by Cónal Creedon
1999
Winner: "Love" by Ivy Bannister 2nd: : "Stay Close to the Water's Edge"
2000
Winner: "The Hanging Trees" by Ruth LeGoff
2001
Winner: "Dipping into the Darkness" by Maire McSweeney 2nd : "I am the Song – Sing Me" by Elizabeth Carty 3rd : " Jealousy" by Susan Knight
