The second issue of Ragaire Literary Magazine, founded by Cormac Culkeen, Tara O’Malley and Aileen McCarthy will be launched in The PorterShed, Market Street, Galway City, on Friday 22^nd November at 6.30pm.

There will be a selection of readings at the event from contributors to the second issue. The issue will be launched by celebrated poet Mia Vance. Mia is a brilliant performance poet whose work has garnered great acclaim. She is an active member of the spoken word and poetry open mic community in Galway and was a featured reader at the 2024 Cúirt International Festival of Literature New Writing Showcase. Her work has won the Oregon Poetry Association Poetry Prize, the Kidd Creative Writing Prize for Poetry, and she is a featured poet as part of the Poetry Ireland Introduction Series 2024.

The cover photograph for Issue 2 of Ragaire has been generously supplied by Dr. Chaosheng Zhang. The image of the northern lights over Pine Island reflects the hopes and aspirations of the editors. Ragaire is an old Irish word for a person who enjoys late-night wandering and exploring. It embodies the magazine’s ethos to break the mould in the field of Irish literary publications, or to stretch it into intriguing new shapes. Ragaire likes to find the quiet moments, the stories untold, the things seen in a glimpse.

“We want to find and promote writers who travel the roads less taken and literary work that contains something different in its content, structure or form,” says Cormac Culkeen. “We want our magazine to be a welcoming place to bring their poems and stories. We want writing that looks to the horizon or sees the world in a raindrop. We want words to stir the heart. We want to give that work a home.”

The second issue contains a selection of excellent short stories and diverse and searching poems that were drawn from over eight hundred submissions. It contains work by Galway based and Irish poets such as Bernie Crawford, Patrick Deeley and Theodore Deppe, as well as a host of international writers from across the globe. Ragaire has also broadened its scope to include nonfiction. This edition of Ragaire will include three nonfiction pieces that are by turns bracing, memorable and lyrical.

“Each issue of Ragaire is a journey,” says Aileen McCarthy. “We are drawn to poems that round the corner and take us by surprise. We want prose that compels us to keep reading.”

As well as having a selection of international writers, Ragaire’s team intends to focus on the work of Irish writers, primarily Galway writers, in each issue. The magazine’s idea of a traveller wandering freely is also embodied in its submissions policy, as all submissions are read blind.

“A talented emerging writer will be given the same attention as a more established author,” says Tara O’Malley. “Ragaire is a warm and welcoming home for writers of all stripes and creeds. We love reading the work that’s submitted to us.”

All are welcome to the launch of this exciting second chapter in the field of Irish literary magazines and new writing.

Ragaire Literary Magazine is proudly supported by Poetry Ireland, Galway County Council and Galway City Council.

Ragaire will be seeking submissions later in Winter 2024 for the third edition, planned for release in Summer 2025. Keep an eye out for updates and submission details on www.ragairemagazine.com.