Letters Regarding Our Irish Correspondence

FOR many years the LIBRARY REVIEW has provided a service of Irish news in the form of letters sent by Irish librarians. The correspondence has proved interesting, not only to our Irish colleagues themselves, but also to librarians in Britain and overseas. It served to supplement the news published in the official Irish magazine, An Leabharlann, in virtue of the fact that it usually covered the library field in the North as well as in the South. The letters have mainly been amiable, but in our Autumn number our correspondent made the following statement: “In your Summer number I read your notice of As I Was Going Down Sackville Street by Dr. Gogarty. This book has been well read in Ireland, but an injunction has been taken out against it, greatly to the regret of most people of liberal mind, but much to the satisfaction of the perfervid Gaels who, as followers of Mr. De Valera, are leading the nation up the garden path to a waste land in which we will croon our ancient songs and hymns of hate in bad Gaelic. There are those of my friends—few enough in number I may say—in favour of Irish language studies, but the majority of average Irishmen are simply being driven into the movement. In their heart of hearts they loathe the Gallicization of the country, but they remember a period when to criticise would possibly have meant a stab in the back, tarring and feathering, or some other sadistic pubishment …” It is not necessary to quote the remainder of the letter, and those particularly interested may read it for themselves in the number in which it appeared. Naturally enough, some of our Irish colleagues do not see eye to eye with our correspondent, and have protested to us, and, in terms of our general policy, we are pleased to publish their protests, along with the detached observations of two other colleagues.