Moth takes its final flight

The respected arts magazine The Moth and its junior counterpart The Caterpillar are hitting the shelves for the very last time this month.

The stylish quarterlies with a national focus and a reputation that travels far beyond these shores have been run by couple Rebecca O’Connor and Will Govan from their beautiful Drumlane home for the past 13 years.

The Celt was interviewing the pair about Will's forthcoming role as Oscar Wilde in the one man play 'Work is the Curse of the Drinking Classes' by Neil Titley when Rebecca breaks the news.

It was especially surprising as they report business is “going strong” even after 52 issues. That business includes four hugely popular literary competitions, which they will continue to run as the arts magazines are reimagined online.

“We had a very strong subscription list, it was profitable, but it was just taking up too much time and we wanted to do things like this,” explains Rebecca, who is also directing Will in the play.

While Will conducted the magazines’ feature interviews, Rebecca had edited, sourced artworks, designed pages, and undertook the mammoth administrative work. The Cavan novelist, whose 2018 debut ‘He Is Mine and I Have No Other’ received critical acclaim, says they can now refocus their artistic energies.

“Will can do the play and his painting, and I can write and run the prizes - it will be more balanced.”

The Celt notes that they must be sad ending this chapter of the magazines.

“It's been very emotional the last few weeks putting them together. A really weird feeling.

“I wanted to include everybody in the last issue - it was really hard choosing what went in and what didn’t.”

News the competitions will continue offers some consolation for up and coming writers whose work would have found a home in the Moth and Caterpillar. The Poetry Prize remains one of the biggest in the world, with a pot of €11,000 and was judged this year by Nobel Laureate, Louise Glück. The shortlisted poems will appear in the final issue of The Moth and the winner will be announced at a special event on Poetry Ireland Day, Thursday, April 27.

The other prizes - The Moth Short Story Prize, The Moth Nature Writing Prize, and The Caterpillar Poetry Prize all have increased prize funds.

Back issues of both magazines will continue to be available online (including gift bundles of five for €20, including postage).