Why is Munster Literature Centre, based in Cork, on the verge of closing its doors? The centre's supporters claim they have been ignored by local politicians.
Cork politicians and other agencies outside the city who were begged for support over the past six years have ignored pleas for help, they say.
The centre's supporters feel they have not been taken seriously: despite great achievements, the centre cannot survive without a lifeline, but none was given. The centre sought to promote established writers primarily but also to offer a haven to upcoming talent.
An editorial in the latest issue of Southward, the newsletter of the Munster Literature Centre, makes depressing reading: "The Munster Literature Centre was founded six years ago and its function was and still is to promote and preserve the work of established writers of the past, to inspire the creative imaginative writers of today, and the aspiring writers of tomorrow. We have done that.
"We have organised readings, lectures, an annual festival of literature, exhibitions featuring portraits of Munster writers and artists, schools programmes and numerous other cultural activities. During our literary festival, we have presented the work of some of our leading Irish writers.
"We have organised an exchange programme with writers from Wales and we are now in the process of arranging an exchange programme with Mexico and Galicia in Spain. All this has been achieved by voluntary labour, a dedicated staff at the Munster Literature Centre, token funding, sporadic support from the business community and little or no help from our political representatives in Cork," the editorial says.
What is the centre looking for? Not a lot. Surely some body or agency can make the difference.
We shall see. Here's more from the editorial: "In Cork we pride ourselves on our literary heritage and are forever quoting from the likes of Frank O'Connor, Sean O'Faolain and Daniel Corkery - but what is seldom, if ever mentioned, is that many of these writers, though born in Cork, were forced to leave it. The only one who remained was Corkery and his work is neglected here and largely ignored abroad."
And these are the words which may signal the death knell of the centre: "We at the Munster Literature Centre have now reached the stage when we feel that we too are neglected and there is little point in continuing to promote literature in Cork. This newsletter will probably be our last.
"Our artistic director, Mary Johnson, who has worked tirelessly on a voluntary basis over the last six years, has announced her intention of resigning from the centre.
"The annual literary festival, due to take place in February, may have to be cancelled due to inadequate resources . . . We have badgered the politicians. We have written countless letters to members of the business community . . ."
The poet and playwright, Patrick Galvin, who was there at the inception of the centre, is quite sure what closure will mean.
"It will be a disaster, a disaster - we're talking about the cultural life of an area. The centre is an important tool in preserving the cultural life of Cork city and county - it should be properly funded and not dependent on voluntary labour."
A fellow co-founder of the centre was Mary Johnson. Not overly hopeful about its future, she still feels there might be a last-minute rescue, adding that she is at a loss to understand why the centre is not receiving support at a number of levels.
Many people involved in arts and heritage have given unstinting service to the project but without a secure financial base in place, they were swimming against the tide. The premises they occupy is four floors up on Sullivan's Quay in Cork - hardly conducive to a reading or an exhibition.
What they want is a more central accessible location and the funds to make it happen. It costs £3,000 each year to keep the existing premises going, it would cost perhaps £14,000 to fund premises that might fit the real needs of the centre. There have been no takers.
Mary Johnson says the centre needs a three-year guarantee of core funding, a full-time manager and artistic director and at least four part-time staff. The Arts Council grant of £14,000 last year was insufficient. Cork Corporation's grant of £2,000, plus £3,000 for the writer-in-residence, Tadhg O Dushlaine, was paltry and unconvincing. "We've shown what can be done but we haven't even begun to realise the real potential," she says.