Everyone knows about Oscar Wilde statue also known as the "fag on the crag" and many other vulgar terms. Living next to the canal in Dublin, I walk past this one statue every week on my way to the grocery store across the canal. We didn't read any of his works in class, but I discovered from one of his poems posted on the wall in the Starbucks across the canal from his statue - the man sitting on a bench - was the poet, novelist and critic, Patrick Kavanaugh.
Studying media, and always questioning the truth of the media, I found some of his quotes to be quite refreshing. Kavanaugh was born in Inniskeen, Co. Monaghan which is, today, near the border of Northern Ireland. His experience also included time as a journalist and a film critic for the Irish Press. In 1948 his novel Tarry Flynn was published and banned by the Irish government. The plot surrounded a common theme in Kavanaugh's works - rural life in Ireland.
The reason why his statue resides on the canal in Dublin, was because he used to like to spend time there (according to the caption of the poem in the Starbucks). I've provided the view that he might have enjoyed on one of the nice, sunny days in Dublin. It's really a peaceful area. As a Public Relations major, I really enjoyed his quotes about his lack of confidence in the truthfulness of the media two quotes include "What appears in newspapers is often new but seldom true," and "It is impossible to read the daily press without being diverted from reality. You are full of enthusiasm for the eternal verities--life is worth living, and then out of sinful curiosity you open a newspaper. You are disillusioned and wrecked."
I would have liked to learn more about him, but I can satisfy that craving when I get back to the US and go to the library.
No comments:
Post a Comment