The Western Writers Centre

- shop local: (l-r) Splinters, short stories from the Bill Naughton Short Story Competition; Liar, Liar, by Alan McMonagle; Crannóg 19; Décollage - New and Selected Poems, by Patricia Burke Brogan - last three titles from Galway-based wordsonthestreet publishers. ( www.wordsonthestreet.com)

Arguably, too much emphasis is placed on what is published from Dublin and in terms of having their books reviewed, smaller provincial publishers have a hard time getting their books acknowledged by the major newspapers or journals. This hasn’t stopped small festivals and local publishers spreading their wings and producing very good work from interesting writers. Reviews of the above titles will appear in ‘Kiosque!’ shortly.

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The Co. Mayo village of Aghamore played host this weekend to the 16th commemoration of two very diverse Mayo-born writers, Bill Naughton (1910-1992), who gave us ‘Alfie’, dozens of collections of short stories, plays for TV and children’s work and much else besides his great tale of working class English urban life; and Patrick Dermot Kenny (1862-1944), journalist, friend of Yeats, agricultural modernist, a man ‘unpopular among many segments of Irish society,’ chiefly because he was outspoken, declaring that it were ‘better to fail through courage than fail through fear.’ The Kenny/Naughton Autumn School must rate as one of the best little festivals, and certainly one of the friendliest, on the island. Sponsored by the Arts Council and Mayo Arts Office, among others, and under the tutelage of Paul W.D.Rogers, its chairman, this year it featured Splinters, an anthology of the top seven stories in the Bill Naughton Short Story Competition, readings by Carmen Cullen and Fred Johnston, a description of being a troubadour in the 21st century from musician John Hoban, local schools’ competitions, songs from Lisa McDonagh and Sinéad Niland’s rendering of the song, ‘A Tribute to Bill Naughton,’ written by Tom Waldron, and a fascinating and revealing ‘Kenny Memorial Lecture’ by Michael Gibbons, archaeologist, who has worked in London, Jerusalem and elsewhere on excavation work, and is author of Connemara: Visions of Iar-Chonnacht. This was even before the trad music session opened up, with great music in fire-lit rooms, to be followed by a showing of the movie, ‘Alfie,’ and more readings and music. The energy and verve at the festival was a tribute to the organising committee and all those who supported it. Make a note in one’s diary for this time next year! {Bill Naughton Short Story Competition: 1st - ‘Cry of Koobaburra,’ by Mary D’Arcy; 2nd - ‘Soft on Crime,’ by Anne Gerardine Mould; 3rd - ‘Pension Plan’, by John McAllister.}

- digging in: archaeologist and author Michael Gibbons unearthing the way things should be done, while accordeonist Paddy Joe Tighe, with some hot traditional jigs and reels, stokes the heart’s fires. (Photos (c) LitPix 2008)

We were sad to learn of the death on October 11th of novelist, poet and playwright, Sydney Bernard Smith. Born in Glasgow in 1936 he studied at Oxford University, and lived for many years mainly in Inishbofin. He taught in Ireland, Spain, Germany and the US. His work was staged and published widely. His poetry collections included Girl With Violin (The Dolmen Press) Priorities (Raven Arts Press, Dublin 1979); Sensualities (Raven, 1981) and New and Selected Poems (Raven, 1984). He also authored a long meditative piece, I Spake Unto My Soul. ”I knew Sydney over a period of many years,” said Fred Johnston, “both in Dublin and here in Galway. We didn’t always agree, but there was an honesty to it. He was a writer of the old school, devoted to his task, learned, determined to let his work have its say. Recently, he had more or less re-issued most of what he had written or published. Critically, he had been rather unfairly neglected. I was very sorry to hear that he was seriously ill and we had corresponded. His passing marks again the gradual fading out of a very different generation of writers.” He added that his wide-ranging body of plays, poems would provoke a reassessment of his place as a genuine satirist, in but not of the literary milieu of his time, an outsider in the most positive sense.

{Books by Sydney Bernard Smith can be obtained at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=726653}

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