Cork County Library’s From the Well series is now a well-established annual publication that has its origins in the Bealtaine Festival, dating back to 2004. The anthology is the end product of the short story competition held every year by the Library and Arts service, a celebration of the best in literary creativity, comprised of the winning story and the other nineteen shortlisted entries.

This year, the competition was based on the theme of light, to mark the UN International Year of Light and Light Technology 2015. Writers were invited to interpret the theme of their own way, allowing for a literal understanding or a broader sense of the theme. The result is a wonderful collection of stories that spans the scale.