Inspiring Vikings story sees Carnaross girl on top of the world

A nine year old Carnaross girl has won a prestigious international short story competition and her work has now been published. Eleanor Moloney beat stiff competition from youngsters in Ireland and the UK to become the only Irish winner in the Evans World Book Day Short Story Competition 2010. Another Irish girl, Kate Craven, from Craughwell National School in Galway, won the illustration part of the competition. Eleanor is the only winning Irish writer this year and her story 'Vikings Come To Dublin', is the only Irish inclusion in the World Book Day primary school anthology of stories which was published last week for World Book Day. The anthology contains 16 stories written by primary school children in Ireland and the UK. Helen Sherlock, Eleanor's teacher at Carnaross National School, said: "The Evans World Book Day Short Story Competition was a great competition for our school to enter. The initial line being given by a real-life author made it all the more exciting and real. Eleanor is a very deserving winner. She puts time and effort into her stories, writes with great flair and is blessed with a boundless imagination. We're all very proud of her here at Carnaross NS," she said. Brendan O'Dea, Bookwise, Navan, and World Book Day representative, commented: "The Evans Short Story Competition gives children a wonderful opportunity to experience being published authors and illustrators. Ireland has a strong and long history of creating talented artists and authors. This is a creative, motivating way for World Book Day to engage with children and for schools to develop and nurture their pupils' huge latent artistic talents." Author Sarah Webb, who gave a 'write-a-rama workshop' to fourth class at Carnaross School, described Eleanor's Viking story as "inspired". World Book Day, now in its 13th year, is Ireland's largest celebration of books and reading. The Evans schools short story competition gives children a unique chance to experience being published authors and illustrators and provides another exciting and creative way for schools to engage with World Book Day. Competition was keen as more than 3,000 entries were received from over 2,000 schools in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Given a first line from leading children's authors, including Andy McNab, Francesca Simon and Anthony Browne, as well as poet Roger McGough, primary and secondary school students were invited to write their own short story or poem to compete for entry in two anthologies of stories. There were no Irish winners in the secondary school category. Children were also encouraged to submit illustrations for inclusion in the anthologies and on the cover jackets.