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Spaghetti Bowl
Spaghetti Bowl is an anthology of essays.
The inspiration for each individual piece is very much a stand-alone exploration, with some translated into Chinese and German. Yet the unifying dynamic in this compendium is Creedon’s global perspective as viewed from what he calls the ‘Spaghetti Bowl of Streets’ in downtown Cork City, Ireland – where his family has lived and traded for generations.
When examined in its entirety, this diverse and eclectic collection of essays come together – as a single cohesive body of work that resonates far beyond the inner-city streets of his native Cork.
The inspiration for each individual piece is very much a stand-alone exploration, with some translated into Chinese and German. Yet the unifying dynamic in this compendium is Creedon’s global perspective as viewed from what he calls the ‘Spaghetti Bowl of Streets’ in downtown Cork City, Ireland – where his family has lived and traded for generations.
When examined in its entirety, this diverse and eclectic collection of essays come together – as a single cohesive body of work that resonates far beyond the inner-city streets of his native Cork.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2024
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12 people want to read
About the author
Conal Creedon
12 books12 followersCónal Creedon is a novelist, playwright and documentary film maker
www.conalcreedon.com
Ever since his bizarre, surreal, pseudo-‐radio soap -‐ Under The Goldie Fish hit the airwaves [1994-‐98] [Irish Times Best Of The Year Radio for 1996 & 1998] Cónal has established a loyal audience for his work. There followed commissions from RTE1, BBC4 and BBC World Service – Cónal has written over sixty hours of original fiction for radio.
BEGOTTEN NOT MADE is Cónal’s second novel.
Cónal’s previous novel – Passion Play [1999] – was cited as BOOK OF THE YEAR [BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Review] and received high critical acclaim.
"The novel’s interior is much indebted to Joyce. The way Creedon combines the child-‐centred perspective of Paddy Clarke Ha! Ha! Ha! with the tough teenage world of The Commitments and the domestic cruelty of The Woman Who Walked Into Doors is ambitious and effective. His exposition of his characters’ thought processes owes much to Flann O’Brien’s skewed sophistication and Patrick McCabe’s scabrous vision as to an earlier prototype of Seán O’Casey’s Joxer. Creedon has found a form all of his own." – C.L. Dallat – Times Literary Review [TLS, London].
Other books by Cónal: Pancho & Lefty Ride Out [collection of short stories -‐ 1996], The Second City Trilogy [trilogy of plays 2007], The Immortal Deed of Michael O’Leary [WW1 historical biography 2015] and Cornerstone [collection of UCC student short fiction 2016].
Cónal’s theatre work includes - The Trial Of Jesus [2000], a large-scale promenade pageant, commissioned and produced as part of the Irish National Millennium Celebrations. The production was awarded two Business2Arts Awards by President Mary McAleese and was nominated for Special Judges Award at The Irish Times Theatre Awards.
In 2001, his stage play Glory Be To The Father was commissioned and produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company. The production embarked on a whistle‐stop Irish national tour.
The Second City Trilogy [a trilogy of stage plays – When I Was God, After Luke, The Cure] was commissioned by The European Capital of Culture 2005. The Irish premiere production ran for four months at the Half-Moon Theatre before transferring to the Cork Opera House main stage. In 2009, the plays premiered in New York -‐ where they picked up a number of awards at the Irish New York Theatre Awards - 2009 & 2013 [Best Actor, Best Director & Nominated Best Playwright]. The Second City Trilogy has had a number of productions in New York and has received high critical acclaim from theatre critics in the New York Times and a number of other New York Arts periodicals. The Second City Trilogy premiered in China as part of the Culture Ireland Program at World Expo Shanghai 2010 and returned to Shanghai in 2011 to feature in the Shanghai International JUE Festival 2011.
Cónal has produced and directed a number of film documentaries - The Burning of Cork [2005], Why The Guns Remained Silent [2006], If it’s Spiced Beef [2007], The Boys of Fair Hill [2008] and Flynnie, The Man who Walked Like Shakespeare [2009] – shortlisted for The Focal International Documentary Awards, London UK.
The documentaries were broadcast by RTE and screened at various festivals – including at the Irish Pavilion in Shanghai, during World Expo [2010].
In recognition of Cónal’s contribution to the Arts. – In 2017 Cónal was appointed Adjunct Professor to the School of English at University College Cork [UCC] and Heritage Ambassador by Cork City Council. In July 2018, Cónal was nominated for Person of the Year 2018.
www.conalcreedon.com
Ever since his bizarre, surreal, pseudo-‐radio soap -‐ Under The Goldie Fish hit the airwaves [1994-‐98] [Irish Times Best Of The Year Radio for 1996 & 1998] Cónal has established a loyal audience for his work. There followed commissions from RTE1, BBC4 and BBC World Service – Cónal has written over sixty hours of original fiction for radio.
BEGOTTEN NOT MADE is Cónal’s second novel.
Cónal’s previous novel – Passion Play [1999] – was cited as BOOK OF THE YEAR [BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Review] and received high critical acclaim.
"The novel’s interior is much indebted to Joyce. The way Creedon combines the child-‐centred perspective of Paddy Clarke Ha! Ha! Ha! with the tough teenage world of The Commitments and the domestic cruelty of The Woman Who Walked Into Doors is ambitious and effective. His exposition of his characters’ thought processes owes much to Flann O’Brien’s skewed sophistication and Patrick McCabe’s scabrous vision as to an earlier prototype of Seán O’Casey’s Joxer. Creedon has found a form all of his own." – C.L. Dallat – Times Literary Review [TLS, London].
Other books by Cónal: Pancho & Lefty Ride Out [collection of short stories -‐ 1996], The Second City Trilogy [trilogy of plays 2007], The Immortal Deed of Michael O’Leary [WW1 historical biography 2015] and Cornerstone [collection of UCC student short fiction 2016].
Cónal’s theatre work includes - The Trial Of Jesus [2000], a large-scale promenade pageant, commissioned and produced as part of the Irish National Millennium Celebrations. The production was awarded two Business2Arts Awards by President Mary McAleese and was nominated for Special Judges Award at The Irish Times Theatre Awards.
In 2001, his stage play Glory Be To The Father was commissioned and produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company. The production embarked on a whistle‐stop Irish national tour.
The Second City Trilogy [a trilogy of stage plays – When I Was God, After Luke, The Cure] was commissioned by The European Capital of Culture 2005. The Irish premiere production ran for four months at the Half-Moon Theatre before transferring to the Cork Opera House main stage. In 2009, the plays premiered in New York -‐ where they picked up a number of awards at the Irish New York Theatre Awards - 2009 & 2013 [Best Actor, Best Director & Nominated Best Playwright]. The Second City Trilogy has had a number of productions in New York and has received high critical acclaim from theatre critics in the New York Times and a number of other New York Arts periodicals. The Second City Trilogy premiered in China as part of the Culture Ireland Program at World Expo Shanghai 2010 and returned to Shanghai in 2011 to feature in the Shanghai International JUE Festival 2011.
Cónal has produced and directed a number of film documentaries - The Burning of Cork [2005], Why The Guns Remained Silent [2006], If it’s Spiced Beef [2007], The Boys of Fair Hill [2008] and Flynnie, The Man who Walked Like Shakespeare [2009] – shortlisted for The Focal International Documentary Awards, London UK.
The documentaries were broadcast by RTE and screened at various festivals – including at the Irish Pavilion in Shanghai, during World Expo [2010].
In recognition of Cónal’s contribution to the Arts. – In 2017 Cónal was appointed Adjunct Professor to the School of English at University College Cork [UCC] and Heritage Ambassador by Cork City Council. In July 2018, Cónal was nominated for Person of the Year 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 22, 2024
Spaghetti Bowl by Cónal Creedon was released August 15th with Irishtown Press but had its official launch in Cork last Thursday evening, September 19th.
Cork will always be known as a city of characters and right now there is one man who strolls the streets of the city, always observing, always making connections and always with a friendly word to brighten someone’s day. This man is novelist, playwright and documentary film maker, Cónal Creedon. I have crossed virtual paths with Cónal over the years but it is really only in the past twelve months that I have had the opportunity to chat to him and to discover for myself why he really is so very much loved by everyone who meets him.
Every city needs a person who will document its people and its past and in Cork, we are very honoured to have Cónal Creedon take on that role. Cónal was born in 1961 to a large family on Devonshire Street right in the heart of Cork city. He also operated a laundrette there in the 1980s. For the best part of 100 years his family have traded on Devonshire Street, but the inner city retail and cultural scene is very different from what it was in the last century. Many Corkonians moved to the suburbs over the years with much of its original character now gone, but through the eyes of Cónal Creedon, I have learned to see my city differently. He has taught me to acknowledge the changes and to be aware that underneath it all, Cork is, and always will be, a city of rebels and rogues. We are a very proud people with a great ability to laugh at ourselves and to see the humour even during the darkest of times.
When assembling this collection, Cónal refers to these essays (many commissioned pieces) as ‘like time capsules – they stand testament to moments of another era.’ He writes about recent world events and he brings his readers local observations and snippets of life in Cork city from years gone by. With a poignancy and a strong sense of nostalgia, his poetic turn of phrase and warm wit bring alive a whole cast of characters, who would otherwise surely be forgotten.
Cónal’s writing crosses borders, geographically, culturally and socially. In recognition of his extraordinary writing Cónal will be receiving the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts in Quebec later in October.
‘This year the World Cultural Council (WCC) will celebrate its 39th Award Ceremony hosted by McGill University at its historic downtown campus in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Cónal has received numerous accolades over the years from both the media and multiple institutions. From Shanghai to Berlin, from Cork to Chicago, and many more places in between, Cónal’s work has been acknowledged as been extremely creative and very expressive.
Through the essays of Spaghetti Bowl, Cónal peels back the layers of Cork city’s history and culture with insights from different periods of his life. He captures its essence, while simultaneously providing a vivid portrait, as he immerses the reader into his Cork, his hometown. It’s clear that Cónal Creedon is a proud Corkonian and much of his writing is very much a love letter to his city but it is also a beautifully compiled anthology of essays that, as the jury members of the World Cultural Council stated ‘reveals a fascinating insight into the universal nature of the human condition, and constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of creative expression.’
Spaghetti Bowl is a literary and lyrical treasure, a selection of evocative and charming stories delivered with the unique voice of this master storyteller, the legend that is Cónal Creedon.
Cork will always be known as a city of characters and right now there is one man who strolls the streets of the city, always observing, always making connections and always with a friendly word to brighten someone’s day. This man is novelist, playwright and documentary film maker, Cónal Creedon. I have crossed virtual paths with Cónal over the years but it is really only in the past twelve months that I have had the opportunity to chat to him and to discover for myself why he really is so very much loved by everyone who meets him.
Every city needs a person who will document its people and its past and in Cork, we are very honoured to have Cónal Creedon take on that role. Cónal was born in 1961 to a large family on Devonshire Street right in the heart of Cork city. He also operated a laundrette there in the 1980s. For the best part of 100 years his family have traded on Devonshire Street, but the inner city retail and cultural scene is very different from what it was in the last century. Many Corkonians moved to the suburbs over the years with much of its original character now gone, but through the eyes of Cónal Creedon, I have learned to see my city differently. He has taught me to acknowledge the changes and to be aware that underneath it all, Cork is, and always will be, a city of rebels and rogues. We are a very proud people with a great ability to laugh at ourselves and to see the humour even during the darkest of times.
When assembling this collection, Cónal refers to these essays (many commissioned pieces) as ‘like time capsules – they stand testament to moments of another era.’ He writes about recent world events and he brings his readers local observations and snippets of life in Cork city from years gone by. With a poignancy and a strong sense of nostalgia, his poetic turn of phrase and warm wit bring alive a whole cast of characters, who would otherwise surely be forgotten.
Cónal’s writing crosses borders, geographically, culturally and socially. In recognition of his extraordinary writing Cónal will be receiving the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts in Quebec later in October.
‘This year the World Cultural Council (WCC) will celebrate its 39th Award Ceremony hosted by McGill University at its historic downtown campus in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Cónal has received numerous accolades over the years from both the media and multiple institutions. From Shanghai to Berlin, from Cork to Chicago, and many more places in between, Cónal’s work has been acknowledged as been extremely creative and very expressive.
Through the essays of Spaghetti Bowl, Cónal peels back the layers of Cork city’s history and culture with insights from different periods of his life. He captures its essence, while simultaneously providing a vivid portrait, as he immerses the reader into his Cork, his hometown. It’s clear that Cónal Creedon is a proud Corkonian and much of his writing is very much a love letter to his city but it is also a beautifully compiled anthology of essays that, as the jury members of the World Cultural Council stated ‘reveals a fascinating insight into the universal nature of the human condition, and constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of creative expression.’
Spaghetti Bowl is a literary and lyrical treasure, a selection of evocative and charming stories delivered with the unique voice of this master storyteller, the legend that is Cónal Creedon.
December 29, 2025
A short collection of short pieces, all enjoyable, some of them an absolute delight. Very Cork, bringing special enjoyment to even the worst kind of blow-in like me. Some made me think of an all-time favourite, Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales - something about the tone, the warmth - although each author has his own unique voice.
Read
August 10, 2025‘This is a city of steps and steeples, more steps and steep hills. And above the heads of the merchant paupers and princes, the golden fish on Shandon casts a sceptical eye over the fishbowl that I call home’
November 20, 2024
Another gem from Cónal Creedon
One of those books that you just know you’ll be dipping in and out of for many years to come. Total enjoyment.
One of those books that you just know you’ll be dipping in and out of for many years to come. Total enjoyment.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews