Éigse na gCúige 1999: Munster will be sharing the literary platform with Connaught from 3-7th February 1999.Ian McDonagh, Co. Council Arts Officer, Cork Corporation's Arts Officer Mark Mulqueen, and Tricia Harrington, Arts Officer at C.I.T. have pledged their support.To date Ita Daly, Theo Dorgan, Declan Hassett, Miriam Dunne, David Marcus, Mary O'Malley, Rita Anne Higgins, Dennis O'Driscoll, Eithne Strong, Anne Haverty, Liam Ó Muirthile, Crístóir Ó Floinn, Mike McCormack, John F, Deane, Gerry Murphy, Eva Bourke, and Roz Cowman have agreed to participate in the festival.This year writers will give workshops to The Northside Writers, Schools, Cork Prison and Spike Island. Also included, a seminar on publishing.

Portraits in Pastel: Gerald Goldberg launched a Portrait Gallery of Munster Writers at UCC Boole library in November.These portraits by Cork artist Richard Noonan are now on exhibition at UCC Granary Theatre 8-12th Dec.

Portrait Readings: Cónal Creedon Gregory O'Donoghue, Gerry Murphy will step out of their portraits to read at UCC Granary Sat. 12th Dec. at 4.15pm.

Patrick Galvin in association with Poetry Ireland will give a reading in the Bricín Bookshop, High Street, Killarney on the 18th December at 8pm and a writers workshop in association with The Irish Writers Centre, organised by The Fia Rua Writers Group Saturday 19th Dec. 12-2pm. Info: Eileen 064-34776.

Congratulations to Eoin Brady, Tommy Frank O'Connor, Bee Ring and Valerie Sirr who were shortlisted for the Sunday Tribune/Hennessy Literary Awards.

Congratulations to Cónal Creedon, Cork author shortlisted for Cork Person of the Year Award.

Short Story Award. Two £100 prizes, over 18s and under. Closing date 28 Feb '99. Info: Beara Community Arts, East End, Castletownbere, Beara, Co.Cork. Tel: 027-70765.

Nonsense Verse Competition. Nonsense poems up to thirty lines. Over 16s. £3.50 per poem. Info Competition Dept. Writers News, P.O.Box 4, Nairn IVI2 4HU, UK. Closing date: 31st December 1998.

Staple 1998 Open Poetry Competition up to 40 lines. Entry £2 per poem. Info: Tor Cottage, 81 Cavendish Road, Matlock DE4 3HD. Closing date 31st Dec'98.

Art Prize £500. Winning painting will be featured on cover of 1999 short story anthology. Theme: water in any of its forms. Send: slide, photo or copy of work plus £5 fee per entry. Closing date: 14th February'99. Info: Fish Publishing Art Prize, Durrus, Co.Cork. Tel: 02761246.

Bradshaw Books invite submissions for anthology: Poets For The Millenium. Send between 10 and 20 poems to Ian Wild, Bradshaw Books, Tig Filí, MacCurtain Street, Cork. Closing date April 12th '99.

This special edition of Newsletter Plus is the penultimate of Volume 1. Next edition due out late January will highlight Éigse na gCúige'99 the Connaught/Munster Literary Festival, with writings by many of the writers involved. Volume 2 invites new work from writers in the Munster region or with Munster connections. The sad news is that we would ask those interested in receiving future copies of the Newsletter to invest £10 for six copies and postage. We thank everyone for their support to date. And we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a bright and Prosperous New Year.

The Mercier Companion to Irish Literature by Sean McMahon and Jo O'Donoghue. Mercier Press 1998. £9.99

Wired to the Moon by Sarah Kavanagh Hodder & Sloughton £10 stg.

Joan Denise Moriarty Founder of Irish National Ballet. Ed. Ruth Fleischmann. Mercier Press 1998. £12.99.

Ireland's Master Storyteller. The Collected Stories of Eamonn Kelly. Marino Books £9.99. "No book has captured the soul of Kerry better than this."

Poetry Ireland Review 59. Winter 1998. Ed. Catherine Phil MacCarthy.

All Our Yesterdays by Declan Hassett. Mercier Press £20. "an evocative collection of pieces which are loosely arranged to follow the changing seasons of the year."

Consequences of the Heart by Peter Cunningham. Harvill Press £15.99/£10.99 "If he never writes another word he has won an enduring place in the literature of Ireland at the end of this century."

The Cork Literary Review V. Selected by Cork Women's Poetry Circle. Ed. Eugene O' Connell. Tig Filí, MacCurtain St. Cork

An Unweaving of Rainbows Images of Irish Writers' John Minihan. Souvenir Press £20

The Singing Tree by Brendan Kennelly. Abbey Press 1998.

Death of a Chieftain, and Love Present and Other Stories by John Montague. Wolfhound Press £6.99.

Secret Lands: The World of Patricia Lynch. Ed. Robert Dunbar. O'Brien Press £8.99.

Escaping The Volcano by Stephanie Dagg. "an explosive first novel for 9-13yr olds."

Nobel by Eithne Strong. Coiscéim 1998. Latest collection of poetry in Irish.

A Country Miscellany by Alice Taylor Mount Eagle £9.99.

All Alcoholics Are Charmers by Martina Evans. Anvil Press.