Sally Jenkins

I’ve never submitted a story to Ireland’s Own. It’s a magazine I’ve seen mentioned in womag circles but until  I spotted it in my local WH Smith’s a couple of weeks ago, I’d never actually seen a copy.

The magazine has a very traditional feel, appealing mainly to the older generation. It contains lots of features, some of which are Ireland specific and a much smaller number that don’t have an Irish connection. In the edition I have in front of me, there are four 1-page articles in the ‘Just a Memory’ section – so if you grew up in Ireland there may be an opening here for your work.

There is one short story published each week. I’ve read two of these and they strike me as being quite gentle. One was about an old married couple where the husband had retreated into a silent world. His wife (from whose point of view the story was written) adopts a stray dog and this animal finds his way into the man’s heart and gives him a reason for living again. The second story was written from a child’s point of view and tells how she finds a new friend for her grandfather. Neither story featured anything particularly Irish other than the character names.

I’ve done a quick trawl of the internet and the only submission guidelines I can find for the magazine are those on the trusty Womag’s blog. Take a look here – the guidelines for articles and fillers are also included.

If any of you have recent experience of being published by Ireland’s Own, do let me know.

Meanwhile, I’m going to try emailing the magazine for Writers’ Guidelines and tweak a story previously rejected by People’s Friend – maybe by changing a few names to Patrick and Bridget!