Vol. 404 No. 7
1 Mr. Nealon asked the Taoiseach when the Joycean material from the Paul Leon bequest to the National Library will be made available to Joycean scholars and to the public, for study and viewing; and if he will outline in general terms, the contents of the deposit.
Staff of the National Library are at present assessing the contents of the collection which consists of over 1,000 items, taking necessary conservation measures as well as doing the work necessary to list and microfilm it. This work will be completed and the material made available publicly as soon as possible but it is not possible yet to fix a date for this. A number of microfilm copies will be made to facilitate the considerable number of researchers who will wish to consult the material when it becomes available.
As the Taoiseach is aware, there is very considerable competition, indeed rivalry, between various Joycean scholars, with the Americans from very well endowed foundations having the advantage. Would the Taoiseach consider giving preference to Irish based Joycean scholars with regard to this material, just to level the pitch on this occasion?
Literature is universal and we have to be even-handed and open and generous to all researchers. Joyce is now an international figure——
Like yourself.
I would not claim to have his picturesque capacity but otherwise——
I am asking the Taoiseach to level the pitch for the Irish scholars.
There is no doubt that this collection will be a vast valuable reservoir for Irish researchers and we hope to make it fully and readily accessible to them as soon as possible. In fact I think it might be a symbolic and appropriate thing to do to make it available to the general public on Bloomsday.
Arising out of his reply, let me ask the Taoiseach if he would give an assurance to the House in regard to further Joyce material that he will make every effort to attract it back to Ireland, especially the collection in the possession of Joyce's distinguished grandson, Stephen Joyce.
Yes, of course we will do that. The Director of the National Library would be the person to follow all that up. I am sure the Deputy's attention was directed to an article in one of last Sunday's papers by Stephen Joyce which was very illuminating in the whole area.
