David

That was a brave and valuable letter. Thanks.

The guy's rights need protection now, from the mob and his mates, and he from his own foolishness. 

I wonder if that is due to arrogance or different worldniness?

Jeff.

Dear Jeff,
 
Thank you very much for your note. Its an awful situation and I fear for
Cathal O'Searcaigh's welfare. The woman who made the film must be a
complete and absolute shit. There was a wonderful article in Hot Press by
Dermod Moore which got it in my opinion absolutely right.
 
Best wishes
David.

From: drstevenking@hotmail.com
To: jeffreydudgeon@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Cathal Ó Searcaigh - Irish Times letter
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 16:02:27 +0000

A good topic for the Examiner? What are your own feelings?

S O'S seems either arrogant or very naive that a film maker would not notice what he was up to. As David Norris alludes, his behaviour was not dissimilar to Wilde whose rent boys were in their mid teens. Indeed it was Bosie who was unpleasantly exploiting the young sons of common friends and Wilde was having to defend him (see the McKenna book). 

Norris's intervention is quite brave as is Maire M's, then if Francis Stuart - Jews are the worm in the rose - can stay in Aosdana, I don't see why O'S should not. 

One human rights expert I talked to about it said, without a moment's hesitation, she hoped he would go to prison. I don't know if a trial was even thought necessary. 

Casement was also not averse to a good bit of grooming (and groping) of less than interested youths (Jose in Iquitos and Teddy in Barbados for two). This on top of inveterate cruising of a wider age range. Seems an Irish propensity. 

Is it sexual colonialism? Probably in that the youths seemed bewildered and innocent. As Mary McCarthy once said about Lillian Holliman's writing - 'nothing  is true - not even the ifs buts or ands'  Whatever the boul Ulick writes should be taken with a large chunk of Lots wife - and then you should still NOT BELIEVE IT.   Carpet or not!   Poor H&M - even with rose coloured specs they would not give you a bad thought, all very fussy and chintzy, just like the fifties.   PS

Paddy

Cathal is an Irish speaking poet from Donegal (see attached extensive series of articles). These letters are from Irish Times, the last two today.

If you wanted to defend Mac L you should send letter to lettersed@irish-times.ie 

I though it was odd the mention of Lady Gregory in time terms. 

Ulick O'Connor has a piece in his diaries about a fight between Hilton and Mac L about him casting some gay actor inappropriately because of a sexual interest while an Irish army boxing champion posed on the carpet! I doubt he was a teenager.

J

From: p.scully207@ntlworld.com
To: jeffreydudgeon@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Micheál Mac Liammóir under attack now
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:04:27 +0000
Jeff, sorry to be so out of touch - but put me right here - who was this Cathal O'Searcaigh ? where was this article put out ? 
One of the correspondents is a little mixed up- Lady G never worked or had any association with the Gate Theatre - she founded the Abbey in 1912 or thereabouts- with Yeats - the Gate was not opened until the mid thirties, such basic misinformation should be taken into account- and the bit about the 'preference' of tall dark & handsome ?  just how tall were under age teen-agers in this badly nourished period ? so all short blondes are safe then ? Peroxide will be mandatory for the average douse bag in Ballyfermot, after the switch knife and the hypo-  the whole thing is laughable, as usual. So most of the molesting priests in the USA had Irish names - wow- that is a surprise to me! What names were all the non molesters? And sexual predation is a 'cousin' to denial and suicide ? This Dr McNamara - would she by any chance be related to the one and only Angela McNamara ? 
Here we go round the hackneyed old mulberry bush- again. PS