Brian Kennedy's superb study of the history of the arts in this State, Dreams And Responsibilities: The State And The Arts In Independent Ireland, has been reissued by the Arts Council. If the title rings a bell, it may be because 200 copies of the book were shredded by the council in 1991; pressure on storage space was the reason given at the time, but many felt that the objections of Anthony Cronin, the then cultural adviser to the Taoiseach, Mr Haughey, about the slant of the book's account of the setting up of Aosdana by a former Haughey administration led to the act. The book was displayed at a conference with a leaflet reflecting Anthony Cronin's views attached to it by the Arts Council.

Many copies had certainly been returned, unsold, by bookshops but the author, Brian Kennedy, who is now director of the National Gallery of Australia, claimed that had the book been marketed properly by the council, that might not have happened. This seems likely, considering the excellence of the work, which should be required reading for anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of the place of the arts in this State. This time around, the council doesn't seem to be marketing it too aggressively either and it is only available from the council itself. Phone them on 01-6611840 for information.