Row looms within Aosdána over Ó Searcaigh documentary

A ROW is looming within Aosdána, which holds its annual general assembly tomorrow, arising from the controversial recent documentary about poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh.

Aosdána member Mannix Flynn said yesterday he would seek to have the agenda of the assembly suspended, after fellow members refused to table a motion he had put forward arising from the Ó Searcaigh controversy.

The documentary, Fairytale of Kathmandu, which was broadcast by RTÉ in March, raised issues about Ó Searcaigh’s relationships with young men in Nepal.

Flynn’s motion was put before the Toscaireacht – a representative body of 10 Aosdána members who meet regularly, and who set the agenda for each year’s assembly – on April 22nd.

The proposed motion was: “In light of concerns expressed by members of the public regarding Aosdána’s position on the alleged exploitation of vulnerable young people by a member of Aosdána, this assembly endorses the guidelines and principles set down in the Arts Council booklet, Guidelines for the protection and welfare of children and young people in the arts sector, and calls on individual artists to publicly endorse its principles.”

Flynn was asked to withdraw the motion and, when he refused, it was rejected by five votes to two.

The Arts Council website lists the 10 members of the Toscaireacht as: Anthony Cronin, Seoirse Bodley, Brian Maguire, Dermot Healy, Mary Fitzgerald, Mannix Flynn, Alice Hanratty, Samuel Walsh, Macdara Woods and Eibhlís Farrell.

Aosdána was established by the Arts Council in 1981 to honour artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Ireland. It has 225 members.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, Flynn said: “In light of the decision that the majority had taken, I decided that proceeding with my motion would not be compatible with me remaining as a member of the Toscaireacht.”

He resigned from the Toscaireacht on April 25th, and requested that this news be circulated to all Aosdána members, along with the wording of his rejected motion to contextualise his reasons for resigning.

On May 2nd, a short memo was posted to members, stating that Flynn had resigned and thanking him for his contribution to the Toscaireacht committee.

Arts Council employee and Aosdána registrar Toby Dennett, who was present at the Toscaireacht meeting on April 22nd, declined to comment yesterday on the reasons why Flynn’s motion was rejected.

A member of Aosdána who wishes to have a general assembly agenda suspended must first have the support in writing of five fellow members present. A vote is then taken and is deemed to be carried if voted for by 60 per cent or more of those Aosdána members present.

Flynn intends to try to put his original motion before the general assembly in this manner, and said yesterday he already had the five necessary supporters. “I have more than five,” he said.

Whether he gets the required 60 per cent to proceed further with placing his motion before the assembly will be decided tomorrow in what is shaping up to be an unusually controversial and heated meeting.