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News : Donegal Poet Under Fire  The
works of Donegal poet Cathal Ó Searchaigh may be dropped from the
syllabus for the Leaving Certificate examinations in Ireland following
a controversial documentary about his personal life in Nepal.
The film, Fairytale of Katmandu, raised concerns that Ó Searcaigh’s
gay lifestyle involved relationships with young men in the impoverished
Asian country.
In answer to parliamentary question raised in the Dáil, Minister
for Education Mary Hanafin said an advisory body would review whether
Ó Searcaigh’s poetry would remain on the syllabus after 2009.
“There might be questions about the character of many people whose
literature has been on courses for the past one hundred years,”
she said. “This is different however because it is a current case
involving a person living in this country. Students must answer one question
about the poet, which could cause difficulty.”
The documentary was screened to the public at the Dublin Film Festival
and is due to be broadcast on RTE (Ireland’s national broadcaster)
in the spring. In a statement published following the controversy, Cathal
Ó Searcaigh openly acknowledged his sexuality but refuted any suggestion
that he preyed on vulnerable young men in Nepal. He expressed extreme
disappointment with the film and said that any such interpretation of
his lifestyle was “untrue and distasteful.” |
