asked the Minister for Education whether he announced, in 1945, a £100 competition for essays in Irish on the life and works of Thomas Davis; if he will state the final date of entry; the number of entrants and the results of the competition; and if the results of the competition have not yet been decided, the reasons for the delay.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Awards for Essays.
The final date of entry for this competition was 31st December, 1945; the number of entries received was eight; the adjudicators appointed for the competition did not consider that any of the essays received was of a sufficiently high standard to justify the award of the prizes that had been offered.
Can the Minister say whether the entrants in the competition have been advised of that result and, if so, when?
I do not think so.
Did the Minister not think the contributions of the entrants worthy even of that kind of acknowledgment?
I presume they were acknowledged, in the first instance, and there was a delay, undoubtedly.
Will the Minister say when it was decided not to award any prizes?
The matter was subject to a great deal of consideration and, eventually, after it had been reconsidered, it was decided to accept the recommendations of the adjudicators. As far as the Davis Centenary Committee is concerned, they would have liked to have published the essays that might have been considered worthy of consideration, even if not worthy of the prizes, but it was not found possible to deal with it in that way. That has been the cause of the delay, a Chinn Chomhairle.
Can the Minister tell us when the decision was finally taken not to award any prize?
I cannot say. I have not the date by me. However, if the Deputy is interested I will let him know.