<div dir="ltr"><div>_______________________________________________</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>THE MOTH MAGAZINE :</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Dear Rebecca O'Connor,<div><br></div><div>Thank you for your e-mail.</div><div><br></div><div>You indicate that the Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize "is not state-funded, and has never claimed to be an Irish poetry prize." Then you acknowledge that you "do have an Irish sponsor." Are you asking me to believe that the Ballymaloe Cookery School (your sponsor) and The Moth itself do not benefit in any way from the economic, social, and cultural actions of public institutions within the Republic of Ireland? This I do not believe. Indeed, I do not believe it in any way.</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">The sponsor is Irish, and the magazine is based in Ireland, the complete matrix of Ireland, so why should Irish be banned by the sponsor and the publisher and not seen to be fit to compete for this international prize?</span><br></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Many Irish-language poets have an international reputation, <span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, </span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, </span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Biddy Jenkinson, </span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Gabriel Rosenstock, </span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Cathal Ó Searcaigh,</span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"> Liam Ó Muirthile, Colm Breathnach, etc., etc.</span></div></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">There are younger poets who may well have an international reputation ahead of them, but not if they are confined to Gaelic ghettoes and told "NO IRISH NEED APPLY" when an attractive prize is offered by an Irish sponsor.</span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">If you did not willfully intend to exclude Irish-language writers from the Ballymaloe Prize process, neither did you intend to include them. Your "rules" insist on English ONLY. How foolish do you think people to be?</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Your "International Prize" is fee-based. Most artists and writers I know would never include on a C.V. or an Artist's Résumé a fee-based competition. Most arts-councils, trusts, or foundations that fund writers in the U.S., Canada, and other countries actively discourage artists from entering fee-based competitions.</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Indeed, I cannot imagine why poet laureate Billy Collins ever agreed to be your Judge.</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">You insist that the Ballymaloe Prize is "international," yet only in English. You seem to have the same notions of the world that were entertained by Queen Victoria.</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">You suggest that I am "perturbed."</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">You add: "</span><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">I hope this puts your mind at ease."</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">What condescension!</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">I suggest that you do an author-search on my name at ...</div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><a href="http://www.WorldCat.org" target="_blank">http://www.WorldCat.org</a></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">or at ...</div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><a href="http://www.Copac.ac.uk" target="_blank">http://www.Copac.ac.uk</a></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">There you will discover that I AM an international writer. I have had plays and performance-art events sponsored in more than 30 countries, and in multiple languages. I have had books and chapbooks published in a number of countries, with more on the way.</div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Do you really think you can dismiss a critic by a mere flutter of patronizing words?</div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Emphatically,</div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Séamas Cain</div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><a href="http://www.priosma.net" target="_blank">http://www.priosma.net</a></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><a href="http://seamascain-writernetwork.org" target="_blank">http://seamascain-writernetwork.org</a></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><a href="http://www.freewebs.com/seamascain" target="_blank">http://www.freewebs.com/seamascain</a></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span style="font-size:small">______________________________</span><span style="font-size:small">_________________</span><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Aug 24, 2015 at 3:56 AM, Rebecca O'Connor <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:editor@themothmagazine.com" target="_blank">editor@themothmagazine.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Dear Seamas, </div><div><br></div><div>I understand you are perturbed that Irish language poets cannot enter the Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize. The prize, which is not state-funded, and has never claimed to be an Irish poetry prize (though we do have an Irish sponsor) is an international poetry prize. Part of the appeal for us is that we receive entries from all over the world, reflecting the international flavour of <em>The Moth</em>.</div><div><br></div><div>I hope this puts your mind at ease. </div><div><br></div><div>All very best wishes, </div><div><br></div><div>Rebecca </div><div><br></div><div><br clear="all"></div><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><font color="#444444"><font color="#666666" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1">Rebecca O'Connor<br>Editor, <em>The Moth</em><br></font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1"><a href="http://www.themothmagazine.com" target="_blank">www.themothmagazine.com</a></font></font></div><div><font color="#444444" size="1"><a href="http://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=7691&page=10" target="_blank">The Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize (€10,000)</a> </font></div><div><font color="#444444" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1">
</font><p style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-IE"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font size="1"><font color="#444444">‘<em>The Moth</em> is a beautiful creature’ <strong>David Mitchell</strong></font></font></font></span></p><font color="#444444" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1">
</font></div><div><font color="#000000" size="1"><font face="times new roman,serif"><font size="2"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font size="1"><font color="#666666"><font color="#444444"><span lang="EN-IE">‘</span>Every child should own a <em>Caterpillar</em>’ <strong>Ian Whybrow</strong></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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