This is a list of all the currentjournals I’ve come across, both online and in print, currently active on the island of Ireland. If you see that any are missing, please leave me a comment, and I’ll amend. I’m not including anthologies published only once a year, or those that specifically publish winning competition poems.
Here’s the list: Abridged http://abridgedonline.com/”>http://abridgedonline.com/
Beautiful product. Online and print journal, based in the North (but we’re being inclusive here!) Besides, they’ve taken poems of mine, so they’re right up there in my estimation!
A New Ulster https://sites.google.com/site/anewulster/ The editor, Amos Grieg, hopes that this journal ‘will act as a reflection of the changing times in which we live in and grant you the reader a doorway into other worlds of the imagination.’ The journal appears monthly and has been in publication since September 2012.
Banshee Literary Journal http://bansheelit.tumblr.com/ An exciting new journal, with three editors who are writers themselves: Laura Jane Cassidy, Eimear Ryan and Claire Hennessy. They have taken poems of mine. And they pay.
Boyne Berries http://boyneberries.blogspot.ie/”>http://boyneberries.blogspot.ie/ This journal came out of a writers’ group and has grown legs since.
Crannóg http://www.crannogmagazine.com/ A print journal, one of the first to publish a poem of mine, so I have a soft spot. And they pay.
Cyphers http://www.cyphers.ie/ An esteemed print journal, founded by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, the late Macdara Woods and the late Leland Bardwell. One to aim for. Glad to have had work in this. They pay.
Gorse http://gorse.ie/ Essays, interviews, fiction, poetry. Curated by Christodoulos Makris.
HCE Review https://hcereview.com/ Named after the fluidly-named Humphrey (or Harold) Chimpden Earwicker in Finnegan’s Wake, to pay homage to Joyce, one of UCD’s most prominent graduates, this is a bimonthly online literary journal launched in 2016 by the MA and MFA Creative Writing courses at University College Dublin. The journal aims to publish fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and visual art from both established and emerging writers and artists from around the world. There’s also a HCE Review podcast, which works in conjunction with the online journal to bring literature into the digital sphere, hosting regular readings and speeches by prominent Irish authors, and featuring discussions of the pieces that appear in the online journal.
Howl: https://www.howlwriting.ie A new print journal coming out of Cork, co-edited by Róisín Leggett-Bowen and Lauren O’Donovan. Here’s their blurb: ‘Lauren and Róisín met while studying for their MA in Creative Writing at UCC….During their first shared lunch, the seeds of HOWL were planted, now coming into bloom three years later. During that time, Lauren and Róisín achieved their degrees, edited and launched The Same Page Anthology, and have been mentored by many excellent writers and editors, including author and past-editor of The Stinging Fly, Danny Denton; poets Afric McGlinchey and Matthew Geden; author and scholar Eibhear Walshe; short story writer Alannah Hopkin; and author and Banshee editor, Eimear Ryan— all extremely generous with their knowledge and time.
HOWL is a platform for Irish writing from home and abroad. Both Lauren and Róisín have spent significant years living outside of Ireland, and have a deep appreciation for how complicated and borderless Irish identity and creativity is. In HOWL, they have created a publication that celebrates not only the spectacular writing coming directly from Éire, but also from Ireland’s children scattered to all corners of the globe.’
They submit work for the Pushcart Prizes.
Icarus http://www.icarusmagazine.com/editorialteam/ Connected to Trinity University. The editorial team is currently headed by Eva Chapman and Cathal Eustace.
Idler http://www.idler.ie A brand new journal, just started this year. Promises ‘regularly updated fresh, engaging, thought provoking and entertaining writing, including stories, poems and essays.’ The editor is Barbara Clinton. Although there’s no pay, Idler provides a link back to the writer’s own blog or website.
Irish Pages http://irishpages.org/ Based in Belfast. Editor is Chris Agee. I haven’t sent work to this journal yet, but it’s well-regarded. Here’s their blurb: ‘IRISH PAGES is a biannual journal, edited in Belfast and publishing, in equal measure, writing from Ireland and overseas. Its policy is to publish poetry, short fiction, essays, creative non-fiction, memoir, essay reviews, nature-writing, translated work, literary journalism, and other autobiographical, historical, religious and scientific writing of literary distinction. There are no standard reviews or narrowly academic articles. Irish Language and Ulster Scots writing are published in the original, with English translations or glosses.’
Poetry Ireland Review http://www.poetryireland.ie/writers/submission-to-pir/ The ‘journal of record’ in Irish poetry. You’re on the official literary radar once you’ve managed to get work between these pages. Rotating editors. Previous editors have included Eavan Boland, Paul Muldoon, Colette Bryce, Thomas McCarthy, Vona Groarke, Biddy Jenkinson, Michael Longley, Catriona O’Reilly and Peter Sirr. They pay contributors.
Skylight 47 https://skylight47poetry.wordpress.com/ Interesting, broadsheet-style journal. They published a glowing review of my first collection, and also some poems, and they’re based in my home city of Galway, so I have a crush!
Southword https://southword.submittable.com/submit I was sorry to see the online version of this print journal go, as it provided a universally accessible archive, and a record of each contributor’s previous work, reviews and links to websites and blogs. It’s back to being a print journal now. Cork-based, connected to the Munster Literature Centre. Rotating editors.They pay contributors.
Splonk https://splonk.ie/about/ Exciting work coming from this journal.Their blurb: ‘Splonk is an online flash fiction journal set up in January 2019 by a group of flash writers and editors in Ireland, spear-headed by Nuala O’Connor. The word ‘splonk’ is the anglicised form of the Irish word ‘splanc’:, noun fem. flash, spark. A splaincín (derived from splanc) is a spirited, fiery female.’
Spontaneity http://spontaneity.org/issue9/haunts/ Love this journal. Edited by Ruth McKee. Here’s their blurb: ‘Everything connects – or if you prefer, nothing is separate. Spontaneity is an arts magazine where one thing leads to another, a beautiful ekphrastic genealogy. We welcome all kinds of artists and writers, from anywhere.’
SurVision http://survisionmagazine.com This is an independent international online magazine founded in March 2017 and based in Dublin, Ireland. Edited by Anatoly Kudryavitsky, the journal publishes neo-surrealist poetry and comes out in January and July. The deadlines for these issues are 31st December and 30th June.
The Bohemyth http://thebohemyth.com/ ‘A manifestation of the imagination.’ Based in Dublin, the founding editors were Michael Naghten Shanks and Alice Walsh. Alice Walsh is running it now, with a team. It’s a quarterly online journal, publishing poetry, fiction, photography, essays. It also has links to interesting Irish and international journals and publishers. Here you go: http://thebohemyth.com/links/
The Dublin Review https://thedublinreview.com/ The Irish Times called this ‘a world-class forum for the literary essay.’ A quarterly magazine of essays, memoir, travel writing, criticism, fiction and reportage. Founded and edited by Brendan Barrington, it is highly regarded. Published in book format and is assisted by The Arts Council of Ireland. (They pay.)
The Dublin Review of Books: https://drb.ie The review is open to all contributors. If the subject is engaging and the writing clear and cogent, they are interested. In general, up to a half of the content can be related to Ireland and Irish questions. Otherwise, they take a strong interest in Europe, its literary and cultural heritage, its turbulent twentieth century history, and its future governance. The drb is jointly edited by Maurice Earls and Enda O’Doherty. Easy to confuse with the previous journal, this one has an excellent reputation for long essays, criticism and reviews of literary works. I may as well take the opportunity to plug my own reviews in this journal: https://drb.ie/?s=Afric+McGlinchey
The Galway Review http://thegalwayreview.com/ ‘Committed to excellence in the extraordinary art of the written word.’ A number of contributing editors, including Eva Bourke.
The Honest Ulsterman http://humag.co/ Connected to the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry. Don’t know much about this long-standing journal at all, but big names are mentioned. In the October 2022 issue, Greg McCartney interviews Claire-Louise Bennett. They have poetry, prose, an ‘observatory’ and a podcast.
The Incubator https://theincubatorjournal.com/submissions/ ‘We do not know until the shell breaks what kind of egg we have been sitting on.’ – T.S. Eliot. Well. Got to try that! Issues alternate fiction and poetry, flash fiction and memoir.
The Irish Examiner http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/the-tuesday-poem-in-the-pub-many-voices-322604.html Patrick Cotter of the Munster Literature Centre selects poems to publish in the Tuesday Poems. Not sure if you can submit. But they pay.
The Irish Literary Review http://irishliteraryreview.com/index.html Haven’t submitted yet, but I will. Clean. Classy.
The Irish Times http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/poetry The new home for Hennessy New Irish Writing, with a chance to be shortlisted for the coveted Hennessy awards, still selected by Ciaran Carty, I believe. And they pay contributors.
The Pickled Body http://thepickledbody.com/ Editors are Dimitra Xidous and Patrick Chapman. An online poetry and art magazine ‘that plays with the senses.’ Each themed issue presents work from the surreal to the sensual and points in between – ‘poems that not only sound as good as they look, but taste as good as they feel.’ I concur.
The Poetry Bus http://thepoetrybusmag.wix.com/change#!submissions/cgyc Published by Peadar and Collette O’Donoghue, this print journal gets bigger and more ambitious with each issue. Had a poem published both in print and on the CD that accompanied the journal. And they nominated it for the Forward Prize! Cool.
The Stinging Fly http://www.stingingfly.org/ One of the most rated journals in Ireland today. Hard to get into – took me four attempts! A lot of acclaimed names seen between these pages. Often themed. The English poetry editor is Eabhan Ní Shuilleabháin, and the Irish editor is Aifric MacAodha. There are also guest editors. Previous editors have included Mia Gallagher, Colm Keegan and Cal Doyle. English and Irish language stories, reviews, essays and poetry. And they pay contributors.
The Sunday Independent http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/the-sunday-poem-anthony-cronins-personal-anthology-34512641.html Like the Irish Examiner’s Tuesday Poem, The Sunday Poem might well be selected by the editor. Not sure if you can submit for it. If anyone can confirm this, that would be helpful. They probably pay.
The Tangerine https://thetangerinemagazine.com/. The Tangerine is a new Belfast-based magazine of new writing. It covers culture and politics, and is published three times a year. The Tangerine includes features, reportage, commentary, fiction, poetry, illustration and photography. They’re currently inviting artists to submit illustrations for a potential cover.
The Quarryman https://www.facebook.com/quarrymanjournal This is a newly revived literary journal, associated with University College Cork (rated the best university in Ireland for the second year in a row.) Originally started in 1920, this journal has been revived by the current MA creative writing students, and the first, substantial issue is already sold out. Submissions are accepted, via their Facebook page, only for those affiliated with UCC, including alumnae.
The Waxed Lemon https://www.thewaxedlemon.com This is a new online journal. The founding editors are Derek Flynn and Joanne McCarthy. Based in Waterford. They publish poetry and flash fiction. I’m watching this one with interest, as Joanne is currently a mentee of mine.