Alison Jameson Shortlists 2026 RTÉ Competition with Cottage Pie
In a broadcast announcement on rte.ie, RTÉ revealed that Alison Jameson has secured a place on the RTÉ Short Story Competition shortlist for 2026 with her entry, “Cottage Pie.” The piece explores the quiet tensions of family life following a maternal loss, tracking a father who hastily sends his children to a new school. Elaine O’Dwyer will read the shortlisted story on RTÉ Radio 1 during the Late Date program on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 11.20pm.
Plot Dynamics of a Motherless Family
The narrator, an older sister who has stepped into a caretaking role, describes how she changes the baby’s diapers and heats bottles while managing the emotional fallout of losing their mother. The children’s silent dread deepens during a frozen morning car ride as their father forces them toward a school where they know no one.
At the new school, the narrator encounters her teacher, Mrs. McGovern, a young widow who wears long dresses and questions the children about their home life and cooking routines. While running home along a narrow road after lunch, a local collie dog attacks the narrator, clamping onto her coat and biting her leg until a neighbor intervenes. When Mrs. McGovern later drives to the family home to deliver a homemade beef dish she labels a shepherd’s pie, the father briskly corrects her, calling it a cottage pie.
Broadcast Schedule and Upcoming Awards Night
RTÉ is broadcasting shortlisted entries nightly on Late Date from Monday, October 19, through Thursday, October 29, 2026. Listeners can also tune into the Arena program for author interviews leading up to the awards night. The competition awards ceremony takes place live from Poetry Ireland in Dublin on Friday, October 30, 2026. Rick O’Shea hosts the event alongside judges Jan Carson, Aingeala Flannery, and Tristan Rosenstock, featuring live music, readings from all the stories, and the writers and guests in attendance.
Literary Background of Alison Jameson
Alison Jameson is a novelist, podcaster, and screenwriter who studied English and History at University College Dublin, where she currently works at the James Joyce Library. Her published fiction includes four novels, most recently This Family of Things. Her literary work has previously earned a nomination for the IMPAC Award and a shortlist placement for the European Prize for Literature.
Scheduled Broadcast Details
- Reading Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 11.20pm on RTÉ Radio 1 during Late Date.
- Competition Broadcast Window: Nightly from Monday, October 19, to Thursday, October 29, 2026.
- Awards Night: Friday, October 30, 2026, live from Poetry Ireland in Dublin, hosted by Rick O’Shea with judges Jan Carson, Aingeala Flannery, and Tristan Rosenstock.
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