The Western Writers Centre

The Western Writers’ Centre - Ionad Scríbhneoiri Chaitlin Maude - wishes to thank all of those who sent in expressions of support for our work prior to our recent presentation at Galway City Hall. It would be impracticable to mention everyone on the list by name, much as we sincerely would wish to do so, because the list is so long; our special thanks go to Senator David Norris, Dr Paul Michael Garrett (Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Political Science and Sociology, NUIGalway), novelist and journalist Martina Devlin, poet and journalist Gerry Smyth, John Arden and Margaretta D’Arcy, Breandán O Heaghra of Galway City Museum, The Munster Literature Centre, poet Gerard Hanberry, Patrick Early (France), Jorge Fondebrider (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Mary O’Donnell (Aosdána), The White House Poets (Limerick), Seosaimh O Guairim, Nuala Ni Chonchúir, Breda Lymer, and Jessica Traynor, Literary Assistant, The Abbey Theatre, Dublin. There were so many more, writers and arts’ and community practitioners from Galway city and abroad, and we are deeply grateful to them; their goodwill was also an illustration of the considerable reach of the Centre through its practical work and the use of our Website, at www.twwc.ie and our newsletter, ‘The Word Tree.’ We were overwhelmed and indeed moved by the enormous and immediate response of support for the Centre, especially as we had not worked directly with all of those who supported us. But something important has now been said about the significance of the Western Writers’ Centre in a wider context. It is the aim of the Centre to develop into a viable literary hub in the City which will reach throughout the West of Ireland; at the same time, we would become a commemorative space for the great writers of Galway’s literary history, featuring their work and history where possible, and providing modest accomodation for visiting contemporary writers. We are open to any suggestions from Galway City Council as to how this development might be progressed and where it might be sited. Once again, our sincere thanks to everyone who rowed in behind us - and a thanks also to Galway City Council’s IT department, for assistance with our presentation, and to our Chair, Aoife Nic Fhearghusa, for preparing it.

- Fred Johnston, Director: sincere thanks as Centre outlines future hopes

(Let us know what you think: send us your comments.)

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Columnist and author, Nuala O Faolain has died in the Blackrock Hospice outside Dublin, aged 68. Her father had penned a column for the old Evening Press under the name Terry O’Sullivan; Nuala O Faolain had penned four books, including the much-praised Are You Somebody? in the mid-Nineties. The author had moved to Galway following a diagnosis, in New York, of cancer. For some years she had worked also as a television producer.

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‘Final Draft,’ publication of the Irish Writers’ Union, bears today the very sad news that Tony Quinn, who was so instrumental in consolidating, indeed organising, proper regulations around Public Lending Rights for Irish writers while in the Union, died on April 28th, peacefully, in Donegal. Obituary pages are open at the site, www.ireland-writers.com/oTonyQuinn.htm His final report on the PLR situation appears on Page 3 of ‘Final Draft,’ along, sadly, with his memory of Robert Greacen, who died recently. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

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