IN THE AUTUMN of 2023, a number of first-year English students at Trinity College Dublin met at Caffè Nero on Dawson Street after an early morning lecture.

None of them had known each other before starting college, and as the semester progressed, they settled into the routine of meeting up and getting to know one another.

The idea was thrown around that they should establish a joint creative pursuit, with a podcast, a zine, and a magazine all touted as potential options. 

Dublin’s literary scene has flourished in recent years, with a growing number of literary journals being produced within the city. Publications such as The Dublin Review and The Stinging Fly, both established in the late 1990s and early 2000s, have led the way.

Last night, the six students – Conor Ennis, Charlotte McCulloch, Priya Evans, Aisling McGorrian, Eoin Farrelly, and Elena Stack Martin – now heading into their third year, launched Issue 1 of their magazine, Hearth.

All six contributed work to the magazine, which is composed of a collection of short stories, essays, poetry, and artwork. The crown jewel of the magazine was a new short story contributed by none other than the Booker Prize-winning author John Banville. 

John Banville speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Prado Museum in Madrid, October 2024. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Banville said his short story, The Hanged Man, was inspired by his favourite photograph of the Czech novelist Franz Kafka. Banville was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011.

In the photograph, Kafka is “with a barmaid, Hansi Szokoll, whom he had a brief passion for, and about whom he spoke disparagingly”, Banville has explained.

“She is usually cropped from the photo, and perhaps this is why I wrote the piece, to give Hansi a voice, however small.”

Speaking to The Journal, Hearth’s Aisling McGorrian said that Banville had seen their first issue, which was launched on a much smaller scale in March. One member of the team had sent him a copy.

“He got in touch with us and said that he was really impressed with everything,” she said, adding that the team thought it would be amazing if he could write something for the magazine. Priya Evans approached Banville and asked if he would submit something to the magazine.

“He went through some stuff he’d written previously – he said he was just clearing out some bits and pieces -and came across The Hanged Man.

He sent us an early version of it to see what we thought, then worked on it and gave it a refresh, and then gave The Hanged Man to us officially for first time publication.” 

One hundred copies have been printed of the new issue of the magazine, which is a pursuit independent of Trinity College. These are still available to purchase from the magazine’s Instagram. The magazine is entirely self-funded alongside donations, but the hope is that as the magazine continues to grow, it will develop into something self-sustaining.

Despite the magazine’s roots in Trinity, the editorial team are keen to expand beyond the university. Their next issue is open for submissions until 11 July. 

Contributor Anthony Adewuyi with a copy of Hearth Issue 1. Elena Stack Martin Elena Stack Martin

“It very much started like a passion project,” McGorrian said.

“We never imagined we’d have John Banville contributing to us.

“It’s a real work of love and friendship, more than anything, which we try keep at the centre of it – especially since so much of our current writing community is Trinity-based, and they’re our peers, people in our classes, and it’s really important to us that they get to feel the friendship that started the magazine when they interact with us.”

Hearth Magazine is available to view digitally here.