The Battle of the Summer Schools continues unabated.

See the lates installment in The Irish Times, Summer 2000.'Let a thousand summer schools bloom - and continue to enliven Irish cultural life.' !

'Mr. Maye's reasoning would of course close not only all summer schools but most universities as well . . . '

Desmond Egan, Artistic Director of the GM Hopkins, replies to Brian Maye's 'disparagement', in the Irish man's Diary, (The Irish Times, October 6, 2000).

Was Mr. Maye right? Get the FULL picture here and decide for yourself. As Egan says,

'Let a thousand summer schools bloom - and continue to enliven Irish cultural life.'

Sir,

Mr. Brian Maye's piece (An Irish man's Diary 26 August 2000) in which he disparaged several Summer Schools on the basis that there was sometimes not strong enough a connection of place; or that - horrible dictu - some visitors failed to attend all the lectures; or that he did not like some of the people commemorated; or that none was a School for Arthur Griffith . . . reminded me of the man who went late to his first ballet performance and after a few minutes shouted 'Speak up - we can't hear a word down here!'.

Mr. Maye's reasoning would of course close not only all summer schools but most universities as well - lacking, as they (the latter) strangely do, that geographical connection which Mr Maye values over all others.

Why a Hopkins Summer School in Monasterevin?

Well, people seem to enjoy it. This year's School had representatives from 23 countries. It featured lectures; Art exhibitions; four concerts; poetry readings; workshops; visits to other parts of Kildare including a day in Maynooth University etc. etc.

Another reason: Hopkins loved Monasterevin - 'one of the props and struts of my existence' - and visited this beautiful place as often as he could.

He wrote poetry there, sketched, explored the area, made friends, said his last Christmas Mass in the parish Church . . . and came back whenever he could.

To an admirer of his work, or of poetry, this is not irrelevant; remember, we are talking about a great poet and his interrelation with a place.

Hopkins may not have been totally happy anywhere (unlike the rest of us) but his dying words were, 'I am so happy, I am so happy'.

It is, we know, a mistake to read any of his poetry - or of anyone '- as purely autobiographical: all art involves detachment.

I question Mr. Maye's statement that 'His poetry is inaccessible for most people' - but naturally I would die for Mr. Maye's right to believe this.

As, I hope, he would for our right to hold our Fourteenth Hopkins Conference next July.

Let a thousand summer schools bloom - and continue to enliven Irish cultural life at a time when perhaps we need such energising more than ever.

Yours etc.

Desmond Egan, Artistic Director,
The GM Hopkins Summer School.

But the Summer School discussion wasn't closed yet. Brian Maye's colleague in the Irish Times, Brendan Glacken, added to the debate.

Dance by James McKenna

Irish Times's Brendan Glacken tries to sort out the issues involved in the Irish Summer School here

What is this Summer Schools and GM Hopkins controversy sweeping the country