Portmuck, Islandmagee, Co Antrim, has lost out to Co Donegal. You will have read Dick Grogan's article on Friday, where he wrote of poets crossing the Border to find a new home for their writing classes. This raised two distinct memories. The new home was "near Falcarragh", he wrote. That brought thoughts of Gortahork and the Ulster College of Irish. And, above all, for those students who were housed with Micky Mac Gabhann, whose recollections, taken down by that fine folklorist Sean O hEochaidh, became that splendid book Rotha Mor an tSaoil, the big wheel of life, or in Valentin Iremonger's translation The Hard Road to Klondike. And it's not so long since we saw a film of it on RTE. You would wish the displaced poets and other writers the best of luck, led by James Simmons and his wife Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons. It is a fine part of a fine county, Donegal.
Former Irish language students remember the mountain climbing and, with some, most of all, the sea, especially at Machaire Rabhartaigh. What a life-giving experience to walk that beach. A curious reader, too, of Dick's article wanted to know if Cathal O Searcaigh was of the family of Professor Seamus O Searcaigh who taught there long enough ago, at the same time as Una Ni Fhearallaigh and Sile Dougan during the Summer School. But the nights around the fire in Micky's home, with the odd cricket flying and the lively chat of this famous welcoming visiting-house remains on. Now, that Poets' House experiment at Portmuck, Islandmagee - what a loss. Dick tells us that in Donegal now, leading Irish and American poets work with groups of visiting students, some pursuing a formal Master's degree in creative writing, others taking part in workshops and at a series of summer poetry festivals. The Poets' House at Portmuck offered MAs in creative writing "validated and awarded by Lancaster University". There was bad blood over planning permission for extension of the building and some local mutterings. Sad.
First indications of poetic and artistic emanations from Portmuck came with a novel co-operation between Adrian Rice, poet, and Ross Wilson, artist. Described simply as a series of poems and images the combined efforts came in a black box - yes - a dozen poems by Adrian with images by Ross, all of which demand to be framed. This was a limited edition: superb. And, mark you, all Adrian's poems also translated into "Antrim/Scots Gaelic". Published in 1989/90. Called Muck Island.