Galway's Western Writers' Centre has made a statement deploring the recent actions of Israeli forces on the high seas and expresses condolences with the families of those relief activists killed on the m.v. Marmara
"The Western Writers' Centre - Ionad Scribhneoirí Chaitlín Maude - Galway deplores the illegal blockade of Gaza by Israel and the recent boarding of the relief vessels m.v. Rachel Corrie and the m.v. Marmara by Israeli forces. Further, we express our condolences to the families of the nine relief activists killed by Israeli commandos on the m.v. Marmara."
Fred Johnston
Richard Tillinghast
Brian Mooney
Sylvia Crawford (Secretary)
Aoife NicFhearghusa (Chair)
The Western Writers' Centre,
Canavan House,
Nuns Island,
Galway
087.2178138
westernwriters@eircom.net
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Please note that Director and poet, Frank Golden, has added his name to the above list.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/ios-letter....html
Having read John Berger's fine letter, I believed it was important to say this.
The Skibbereen Eagle in West Cork warned the Tsar of Russia against his expansionist designs on China, saying it, the Skibbereen Eagle, had its eye on him.
So when the "Skibbereen Eagle" argument is invoked it is to remind an editor or journalist to realise how much effort or weight their humble opinion has in the real world. .
The Isrealis are trembling in their boots after Fred and the literary gang in Galway shake their fists at them.
.
I find it utterly amazing that Irish writers lose their balls when they get an
Arts Council Grant... Is it equivalent to being a laureate and only
singing the government's praises ?
'cos England only ever has one of them at a time , not like thousands
;-)
for taking a stand and making it know.
"Irish writers lose their balls when they get an
Arts Council Grant."
Most of their writing is never read by anybody.
They are not Tolstoys.
Tolstoy never sponged money.
All funding from the socaled "Arts" should be abolished.
At least a plumber earns an honest bob.
all singing for FF, indeed both Ahern and his daughter have been endowed with tax-free status !!
The revenue are advised by a government appointed Arts Council !!
I do think the Brits are more sensible, only financing one laureate and keeping Arts
free from government influence.
Sorry, Skibb. None of the signatories of that statement is from Galway. Apart from a notable couple of exceptions, you wouldn't get the literary 'gang' in Galway to sign anything.
Its good to see that writers actually have opinions aside from extolling the virtues of the Government !!
It seems one of the consequences of Fianna Fáil Policy (and whichever prop it uses) is to create
a stasis comprised mainly of consensus, in which no other opinion is valued than that which is
bought and paid for. The issue of *sustainability* comes into this- How long can a static paralysis
of consensus be sustained without a crack in the edifice ?
it looks like every edifice save Fianna Fail is cracking under the weight of Utopianism which was
built on very wet and shifting sands. Sure ask the Greens, they are masters in consensus -building
and in sustaining the FF edifice, whilst not adding anything new to our national arguments or
dialogues!!!
It seems that leaders must actually lead, rather than wait as many of our artists do for a crumb off
the developer's table or a glitterly prize to affirm that the middling output of many Irish writers is
just that >>>>>>* middling* , *self-centred* ,* insular*, *boring* and *self-involved*.
I expect the weeping will begin when they realise the cheques and tax returns won't be coming
much as things fiscal worsen, then they will cry union rights and such, whilst blithely forgetting
that life outside of the ivory-tower has a reality from which our uncritical, unthinking writers have
been protected and is false!!
Someone's got to take the baby steps and lead on matters of integrity and conscience.
=WELL DONE !!
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