David O’Mahony is a horror and dark fantasy writer from Cork, Ireland. He specialises in ghost stories but can also be found writing contemporary fiction.
A prolific writer of short stories, he was a finalist in the 2024 Globe Soup primal fears competition and his first round entry to the 2024 NYC Midnight short story challenge was praised as a “creative, original take on the ghost story”. He has been published or is about to be published in Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, India, and Thailand.
An award-winning newspaper designer, his non-fiction work tends to focus on history, in which he has a PhD, or on books and literary matters. Read his non-fiction for the Irish Examiner here.
When not writing he is assistant editor of the Irish Examiner, where he has picked up numerous awards for eye-catching front pages. One of his efforts, marking the publication of the mother and baby homes report and naming all the children who died at Bessborough mother and baby home, featured on Sky News, BBC, and CNN as well as being raised in parliament as an important historical document.
His front page on the murder of Lyra McKee was named front page of the year in 2019, and his team produced the front page of the year for 2020 as well as having an unprecedented double nomination. The Bessborough page won the award in 2021 and he won the 2023 award for Thank you, Vicky.
Story bylines:
Losing Your Grip, 2RulesofWriting.com, October 2023
Brotherly Love, davidomahony.ie, October 2023
Out of Time, Spillwords, December 2023
A Winter’s Wrath, Christmas of the Dead: Krampus Kountry, December 2023
Head Case, Flash of the Dead: Requiem, January 2024, and Exquisite Death, October 2024
Ghost of a Chance, Triumvirate volume 4, February 2024
Ties That Bind, 2RulesofWriting.com, February 2024, and Metastellar, July 2024
Atonement, Soulmate Syndrome: Certain Dark Things, March 2024
Blood Price, Masks of Sanity: Hidden In Plain Sight, April 2024
The Door, Spillwords, May 2024
Indistinct Background Character on a Field of Grey, 2RulesofWriting.com, May 2024
Sacrifices, Flash of the Undead, June 2024
Family Reunion, miniMAG, July 2024
Opportunity Knocks, Blood Moon Rising, July 2024
The Archaeological Findings of Ballybrassil, Cork: A Challenge to the Traditional Narrative, Perseid Prophecies, July 2024
Armageddon, AntiopdeanSF, August 2024
Holy Ground, Spillwords, September 2024
The Coachman, Children of the Dead: Shadow Playground, September 2024
Through the Gateway, Eldritch Encore: Stories Inspired by HP Lovecraft, September 2024
What Gets Left Behind, Stygian Lepus, September 2024
Family Tree, Mono No Aware, September 2024
Grave Tidings, Flash of the Dead: Halloween ’24, October 2024
Lantern Jack, Halloweenthology: Witches’ Brew, October 2024
Doorways, Exomoons–Natural, and Unnatural, Astronomical Bodies Orbiting Strange Planets – A Sci-Fi/Horror/Grimdark Anthology, December 2024
Whispers of the Wooded River, Perseid Prophecies, January 2025
Beneath the Skin, Infernal Delights, January 2025
Shadow of the Wyrm, Dragon Flight, January 2025
Onward, Petting Boo, January 2025 AND Frightening Friday (Twisted Dreams, 2025, forthcoming)
House of Sorrows (novelette, Graveside Press 2026, forthcoming)
Upon Reflection, The Gothic Gazette: Withered Love (Wicked Shadow Press, April 2025)
The Hungry Man, Parabnormal magazine (June 2025)
Sea Sacrifices, The Stranger At My Window (2025 forthcoming)
Grave Tidings, Readers’ Choice collection (Dark Holme Publishing, 2026)
Weighed Down, Channel the Dark vol 2, (Temple Dark Books, October 2025)
Seafoam, Lured into the Deep (Dragon Soul Press), May 2025
Amounting to Something, Sea of Monsters (Dragon Soul Press), June 2025
The Urge, Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond (Dark Holme Press), March 2025
Moving On, Blood Moon Rising magazine, July 2025
Finding the Light, Spooky Sunday (Twisted Dreams Press, 2025, forthcoming)
Sic transit gloria mundi, Schlock! magazine (December 2025, forthcoming)