Most fiction writers – even those who begin life as poets – write stories, and mostly it is a collection of stories that appears first. I seem to have started at the other end, producing four novels before finally seeing my stories into print.

The stories in this collection stretch back almost to when I began writing fiction, in fact, read consecutively, they can be seen as a history of my pre-occupations - stylistic and thematic.

Most have appeared elsewhere – in particular as part of David Marcus’ excellent Phoenix Irish Short Stories series, and more latterly the Faber Best New Irish Stories.

I would like to pay tribute to the Munster Literature Centre which has championed the short story form with great energy. Their Frank O’Connor Festival, in September every year, is a gathering of the best practitioners and the most enthusiastic enthusiasts from all over the world. With the beautiful city of Cork, food capital of Ireland, as the backdrop, what more could you ask!