Stories by Gerry Gaffney

1. Aberystwyth

Published 20 November 2023

"Irish Danny came back from Aberystwyth with a sports bag full of magic mushrooms. I arrived home from work on Friday to find him sitting in the kitchen chatting with Ellen and Colin the Gray. As usual the rest of the house was freezing, but the oven was on full with the door open, and the kitchen was nice and toasty..."

2. Altona

Published 6 December 2023

"Although he could have justified going straight home, Roy dropped into the office in the city..."

Primarily an entertainment, this story touches on influence, the invisible pervasiveness of technology and the issue of agency in computer-mediated art.

3. Ruth

Published 18 December 2023

"When Christopher walked into the locker room Jimmy was still sitting on a bench in his gym gear, staring at his phone..."

A story about tattoo mistakes and the danger of falling into a criminal entrprise.

4. Monivea

Published 1 January 2024

"His sister Bridget picked him up at the railway station in Athenry and drove him to the house in Monivea..."

This is a story about saying goodbye to a parent.

5. Driving to Zagreb

Published 17 January 2024

"Marianne is in her brother Winston’s office. They’re chatting, looking very relaxed. She sees me looking in her direction and smiles, waves. I smile back, then turn again to my computer..."

It's said that when you're in a hole you should stop digging. This is a story about colonialism, lying and the strange attraction of sliding into chaos and disaster.

6. Albert

Published 24 January 2024

"Jimmy was strolling through the market stalls on Portobello Rd when he first saw Albert. Albert was elderly and well-dressed, and in conversation with a stall-holder about a toaster..."

A story of a somewhat unlikely friendship.

7. Away

Published 5 February 2024

"Henry Scanlon tilted his chair backwards and put his feet up on the desk. Outside, he could see a line of trucks waiting to unload..."

An environmental slogan is that "there is no away." This is a hopefully amusing morality tale about the consequences of failing to account for externalities.

8. Kilkee

Published 16 February 2024

"Saoirse came down the stairs slowly. She didn't want a continuation of last night's unpleasantness..."

A story about the fraught relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law.

9. Shoes

Published 29 February 2024

"Wingtips? Are you making model aeroplanes or what?" Martin asked his brother Derek...

A story about loss and upheaval.

10. Fingers

Published 13 March 2024

"Vera was walking the dog around the park. She looked at the young woman coming towards her. She had a young boy with her, probably her son. Vera saw the boy was holding tightly to his mother's dress and chattering away to her. He looked very cute and Vera smiled at the woman. She smiled back..."

A story about teenagers and adults' perceptions of them.

11. Pillow Talk

Published 30 March 2024

They’d been married for seven years when Denise began talking in her sleep. Or maybe, thought Arthur, she’s talked in her sleep before and I didn’t hear her because I was asleep. Seems unlikely, though, she’s a good sleeper. Always envied that, deep in the waters of, whatever it is. Lethe...."

A story about using AI to reinforce our prejudices and assumptions.

12. Sex Work

Published 17 April 2024

“A gigolo.” said Christopher. “For f*** sake Jimmy, how did you come up with that idea?"

Rabbitgate

Published 30 April 2024

“Moving to Phoenix was a big deal for us, but we got lucky, in particular with our neighbours, the Lees. John and Mary and their kids were a plug-and-play match for our family..."

14. Cartel

Published 14 May 2024

“Jason could be amusing and entertaining with the best of them but his personal black cloud was never far away and his natural state tended towards being morose. This made him difficult to get to know, so his friends were surprised when he arrived at the bar one night with María from Guatemala by his side..."

15. The Dispensary

Published 23 September 2024

This story imagines a society in which artists - even mediocre ones - are supported financially and emotionally. They have an assured market and ongoing work. But there is a cost.