Sir, - John Boland's remarks (March 22nd) on the views expressed about Elizabeth Bowen in our 1993 publication A North Cork Anthology have been drawn to our attention. We are mystified by his accusations of racism for describing her as an English writer. Apart from the fact that we doubt the English can be classified as a race, she was undoubtedly a writer of and for England. The Bowen family did not cease to be English because they owned some property in Ireland and did their bit to keep down the Irish, any more than other English families ceased to be English by playing a similar role in India or the West Indies. Elizabeth's sympathy and allegiances were never in doubt. It was for England that she wrote, and for England that she spied during the war.
It did not occur to us to select people for inclusion on the basis of anti Englishness or proEnglishness - if we did, we would have had great problems with Edmund Burke, for example, we included people simply on the basis of having influenced or been influenced by the area. We would not therefore insult the memory of Mr Bowen by including her except in the way we did.
Two people who probably did more than anybody else to shape the area subjectively and politically were Canon Sheehan and Sean Moylan and both were particular fans of English literature. Because they were simply non English they did not live by the simplistic categories of anti or pro Englishness. They could take and leave things English, and a lot of things Irish as well. Mr Boland does not seem to have such an approach but that's his problem. He has forced Ms Bowen to our attention again and we will have to return to her in due course. - Yours, etc.,
Aubane Historical Society,
Millstreet, Co. Cork.