Sir, – Frank McNally’s highlighting of the upcoming Flann O’Brien symposium in Rome and the first biennial award for O’Brien Scholarship – the Fahrt Memorial Prize (An Irishman’s Diary, June 6th) brings to mind another famous Irish satirist.
In 1721, Jonathan Swift wrote “The Benefit of Farting” in which he suggested, among other things, that we could judge the character of a person through the “noxious humours of their bowels”.
It’s certainly a novel idea and might also be applied to politicians and their utterances, but much as I admire Swift, regrettably I guess that listening to hot air is more preferable than inhaling it!
His own opinion on politicians wasn't much higher, as he indicated in Gulliver's Travels: "Whoever makes two ears of corn, or two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before, deserves better of mankind, and does more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together".
Given the amount of hot air that will undoubtedly be expelled in praise of another Irish writer on Sunday June 16th, spare a thought for the same Jonathan Swift who, 300 years ago this coming week, ascended to the Deanery of St Patrick’s Cathedral on June 13th, 1713. – Yours, etc,
MARK LAWLER,
Liberties Heritage
Association,
Carmens Hall,
Dublin 8.