Madam, - I want to comment on the news that the staff at Poetry Ireland have been ordered out of their office in Dublin Castle and that their grant from the Arts Council has been cut by a quarter.
To those who have never visited this office it might appear that Poetry Ireland takes up a lot of space. In fact they have one room in which to organise readings throughout the country, to arrange the Writers in Schools project, to answer queries, to deal with correspondence, to produce a newsletter and to prepare a journal. When I edited Poetry Ireland Review I didn't even have a desk on which to work.
It is hard to understand why they must be evicted from a single room to make space for the EU Presidency. Where are they to go? Will they be allowed back when the six months are over? What kind of thinking is behind this heartless, unimaginative and short-sighted decision?
The cut in funding from the Arts Council is scandalous. The thinking behind it seems to be that poetry doesn't matter, that poets are nonentities with no power, no influence and no feelings. You can kick them in the teeth and save money as you do it.
Never has poetry been more needed. Never has the country been so abused by crass values, dishonest use of language, lack of ideals and the neglect of humane interests. It is not a time to cut back.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what officials do. Poets will write, the work of the imagination and the ordering intelligence will go on. But it is shameful to harry, obstruct and demean those who work hard and selflessly to promote writers and the values they represent.- Yours, tc.,
MAURICE HARMON,
Sycamore Road,
Mount Merrion,
Co Dublin.