BELFAST Media Group Editor Robin Livingstone has scooped third prize in the prestigious annual RTÉ Short Story Competition.

Robin has been a journalist with the Andersonstown News and the Belfast Media Group for 35 years, covering a wide range of issues during the worst years of the conflict and latterly in times of relative peace. 

His short story 'Breathe' details the experiences of a young man injured by a plastic bullet during the Troubles in West Belfast in the late-1970s.

Set up in 1986 to honour writer and broadcaster Francis MacManus, the RTÉ Short Story Competition has been a critically important launch pad for new and emerging writers in Ireland.

This year's competition winners were revealed at an event the Pavillion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire at the weekend with the 10 finalists from an entry field of 1,700 in attendance.

The winning stories were selected by writers Ferdia MacAnna, Kathleen MacMahon and Claire Kilroy. 

The winning entry was ‘Mr Hoo’ by John O’Donnell, described as "an exquisite and touching story about an easily-led, bird-loving young fellow’s trip to the dark side and subsequent redemption".

Second prize went to ‘Tessa and Viviane’ by Julie Cruickshank.

Speaking about 'Breathe' by Robin Livingstone, judge Claire Kilroy said: "This writer has an uncanny ability to alight on details that are so authentic as to put the reader there.

"He has imagined himself fully into his young protagonist’s shoes – or his boots, rather, his red Doc Marten boots of which he is so proud.

"With exceptional pacing, the reader, or listener, is hurtled from the young man’s body into his head as he panics on the operating table.

"In capturing the claustrophobia of a being unable to breathe, the writer captures the claustrophobia of Belfast during the riot years."

Speaking about his short story to RTÉ, Robin said: "The deaths and injuries caused by plastic bullets and rubber bullets was something we covered extensively at the time.

"The human stories always stayed with me. There are so many families who have been ripped apart and the human stories quite often are not told.

"The guy in my story was not as badly hurt but there are people who have suffered real trauma as a result of their injuries.

"We recently saw that the British government gave permission for plastic bullets to be used at the Notting Hill Carnival, if needed. They weren't. Plastic bullets are still used in the North of Ireland."

You can read or listen to 'Breathe' by Robin Livingstone on the RTÉ website here.