Madam, - I was encouraged to read John Waters's column of February 10th in which he questioned the "disengagement" of Irish artists. I myself have written on this topic at length and over a long time in various book reviews and articles.
It is wrong to hold that all Irish writers are politically or socially disengaged. But regrettably much of the best poetry and prose which concerns itself openly with Irish society and politics is found only in small literary magazines, some of which don't last very long. It is extremely encouraging, however, to note that individual Irish writers are being roused to protest by the threat of impending "war" with Iraq and have formed an admirable organisation to do so.
Nothing can be expected collectively from a body such as Aosdána, for example, which is essentially a State-sponsored pension fund. And there will always be individual writers whose sheer terror at the thought of having an opinion over which they might be asked to stand will prohibit their involvement in anything the least political.
It is fervently to be hoped that Irish writers will continue to engage with politics, at home as well as abroad, and that they will assert themselves as a strong and independent voice that will speak out clearly against injustice, political scandal and policies of secrecy, wherever these occur. - Yours etc.,
Western Writers' Centre,
Galway.