JOHN DILLON,
Sir, - Your article of January 7th on the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies in Athens was most welcome, and serves to highlight an important cultural initiative undertaken by this country in relation to that land, beloved of so many, which is the cradle both of democracy and of much of European culture.
However, there is a rather dismal aspect of the situation which was largely glossed over, chiefly because the director, Dr Pat Cronin, being a courtly and amiable man, did not want to seem to be complaining. I have no such inhibitions. It seems to me most unfortunate, not to use a stronger term, that the Irish Government, and the Higher Education Authority, at a time when so much money is being disbursed both to the arts and to third-level research, should dismiss a project such as the IIHSA, which brings together personnel and expertise from at least UCD, the NUIs of Cork, Galway and Maynooth, and Trinity College, as not being deemed to qualify for any Government support.
Virtually every country in Europe has an institute of some sort in Athens, generally supported by their governments, and the Greeks themselves prefer (for understandable reasons) to co-operate with smaller countries than with the larger ones which have historically relieved them of so much of their ancient heritage.
The Irish Institute is currently hanging by a thread financially, dependent largely on the hospitality of a generous Irish-American, and some small private contributions. It really deserves better, as it constitutes an excellent outlet for the research activities of Irish graduate students and established scholars, as well as being a show-case for Irish culture in Greece.
Accordingly, I would appeal to the HEA to review its policy towards it. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN DILLON,
Regius Professor of Greek,
Trinity College,
Dublin 2.