I see that Milton, Donne, Dryden and Pope are among the poets being dropped from the curriculum in British schools because they're not sufficiently "modern" or "accessible".
This is depressing, but it's hardly surprising, given that most students I know seem to think that literature began with Irvine Welsh and derisively snort at the very notion of poetry, be it contemporary or classic.
The poet Ruth Padel, who last week became the Poetry Society's Writer of the Year, is among those distressed at the axing of the old masters. "Poetry," she declares, "is not just about education, it's about life; and without the opportunity to at least sample all the greats, from Spenser to Heaney, young people will be missing out on a great joy."
Part of the problem, according to some British educationalists, is that many teachers are frightened of exposing their own tenuous grasp of the major poets of earlier centuries. To counteract the general apathy and ignorance, the Poetry Society is calling for the widespread use of "choral teaching", with pupils learning poems by performing them out loud in class.
This is a throwback to the old learn by rote system that used to be the norm in Irish schools. I'm not sure how beneficial it was, but all these years later I could certainly recite to you, word for word, Flecker's The Old Ships, Belloc's Tarantella and Colum's A Poor Scholar of the Forties at the drop of a hat. No Milton, though, I'm afraid - Paradise Lost went in one ear and, very promptly, out the other.
HOWEVER, perhaps Poetry Ireland's Writers in Schools scheme, now in its second year, will activate the interest of some mute, inglorious Milton languishing in an Irish classroom. If you're a teacher and would like to know more about this initiative, you can contact administrator Claire Ranson at the Poetry Ireland offices. She has a directory of writers who are available to visit schools, and if you phone her at 6799860 she'll tell you all you want to know.
I learn this from Poetry Ireland director Theo Dorgan, who also mentions the series of Introductions readings being presented at the Winding Stair bookshop on Ormond Quay. As the title suggests, these are offering a platform to less established poets, and if you're interested in being considered for the readings, you can send about 10 of your poems to Poetry Ireland, Bermingham Tower, Upper Yard, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.
In more general terms, Poetry Ireland is planning to make 1997 the year "when the balance of our readings programme shifts decisively out of Dublin", particularly to the midlands and the North. And, says Theo Dorgan, "we positively welcome approaches from arts organisations and festivals who would like to feature poetry in their programmes."
SO you want to publish your own work? Given the staggering number of books currently being brought out by the main. British and Irish publishers, self publishing would seem to be an unnecessary and extravagant option, but Parkgate Books obviously think otherwise.
Paul Hannon of Parkgate informs me that, for a mere £55 (£35 for "unwaged or low income applicants") you can attend a seminar on self publishing next Saturday in the Dublin Writers Museum, Parnell Square.
As to the advantages of self publishing he points out that writers as different as Beatrix Potter and Roddy Doyle opted to, do this with their first books, and he is at pains to emphasise that it has no connection with the much derided vanity publishing scam.
Indeed, he maintains that self publishing "is ideally suited to people with a clear idea of how to sell their finished book".
Most people, of course, haven't the faintest idea how to do this; hence the seminar.
Among the topics to be dealt with are knowing your audience, persistence, print and design standards, costings, publicity and cautionary tales (bad experiences with established publishers), and among those offering their expertise and insights will be Roddy Doyle, Poolbeg author Mary McCarthy, editor and publicist Eveleen Coyle and bookseller Fred Hanna.
If you're interested in attending, you can contact Parkgate, "Books at 19 Montague Street, Dublin 2 (telephone: 4758778).
OUT in the Stillorgan offices of The Columba Press on Monday evening, Joe Costello, TD launched Crime, Society and Conscience, a collection of essays on a troubling subject, edited and introduced by Sean MacReamoinn. Among the contributors are the theologians Sean Fagan and Terence McCaughey and the former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, who points to the need for a restoration of the moral credibility of both Church and State.