Ré na bhFathach – Colm Ó Ceallacháin

Cnuasach é seo a chaitheann súil ar chruachás an duine agus é i ngleic le fírinní éagsúla an tsaoil — agus leis na bréaga. Ón am i láthair go dtí an t-am atá caite — agus fiú go haimsir chaite nach raibh riamh ann — tugtar sinn ar cuairt na cruinne, camchuairt a thosaíonn “ar an bhfichiú hoileán is mó ar domhan”, tír aineoil a n-aithneoidh an léitheoir go maith í, fiú faoi chló nua.

Is i gCorcaigh atá cónaí ar Cholm Ó Ceallacháin. In 2017 a foilsíodh a chéad chnuasach gearrscéalta, I dTír Mhilis na mBeo — saothar a bhain áit amach ar ghearrliosta Ghradam Uí Shúilleabháin na bliana sin. Tá duaiseanna Oireachtais buaite aige, chomh maith le dámhachtainí ón gComhairle Ealaíon. Is é Ré na bhFathach an dara cnuasach óna pheann.

“Tá gach scéal anseo go hiontach agus tá an daonnacht go smior agus go fial sna scéalta. Tá úire, samhlaíocht agus slacht as an ngnách ag baint leis an insint agus leis na plotaí. Is amhlaidh go gcuireann na scéalta le bríonna a chéile mar aonad ealaíne, agus téamaí agus cúlraí ag freagairt dá chéile. Ina dhiaidh sin, is geall le míorúilt éagsúlacht an ábhair agus éagsúlacht na gcúlraí sna scéalta, cé go bhfuil snáithe ceangail ann chomh maith, an pholaitíocht go háirithe.” — Dr Róisín Ní Ghairbhí

 Ré na bhFathach: The stories in this collection shine a light on a sometimes flawed, but very recognisable, cast of characters as they come to terms with the truths – and mistruths – of their existence. Set in the present day and in the past – and indeed in a past that never was – we are taken on a tour of their own private universe, starting out on ‘the twetieth largest island in the world,’ a strange land that the reader may yet recognise, even in this new and distorted form.

Colm Ó Ceallacháin lives in Cork. His first short story collection, I dTír Mhilis na mBeo, was published in 2017, a collection that shared first prize in that year’s Oireachtas na Gaeilge literary competition for a work of prose, as well as being shortlisted for Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin. He has won several other prizes at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, and has been awarded literary bursaries from the Arts Council on a number of occasions. His work has appeared in Comhar, Feasta, Aneas, gorse and Southword, as well as in a number of anthologies such as Díolaim/Antologia (Focail Eile/Other Words), Best European Fiction 2019 (Dalkey Archive Press) and Strokestown Poetry Anthology 2020. Ré na bhFathach is his second collection of short stories.