A weekend honouring Pearse Hutchinson kicked off last night with a a fine interview with Hutchinson by Vincent Woods on the Arts Show (December 13), RTÉ Radio 1
This evening it continues with Pearse Hutchinson: An 80th Birthday Sympo.sium 14-15 December 2007. in the Robert Emmet Theatre (2037), Arts Block, Trinity College Dublin, starting at 6.15 and all are welcome. It runs this evening from 6-9, and tomorrow from 9am till 1, and 2.30-6.

Paul Durcan, Harry Clifton, Kit Fryatt, Luis de Paor, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Philip Coleman (the main organizer), Michael Augustin, Sujata Bhatt, MacDara Woods, Vincent Woods, Ciaran O’Driscoll and Michael O’Dea among other writers and academics will read from, discuss and lecture about Hutchinson’s life and work.

By the by, the Provost of Trinity College hosted a reception to honour past alumna Anne Enright last night in his fine residence at No 1 Grafton Street. It was touching to see her former tutor the distinguished Professor Nicholas Grene so chuffed at her Man Booker success and he gave a simple but affecting speech on her career both as student and author. It’s so nice to see writers honoured, even if it might never have happened but for the fame of the Man Booker, rather than the sustained quality of her work. I’ve heard different opinions of her winning novel The Gathering, all of it trenchant, and for my part I think it’s wonderful - alive in every line.

Finally, my old friend Jim Greeley is a year dead today. It doesn’t at all seem like a year, hardly even a few months, but he’s gone and his family and friends, not least his partner Richard Lewis, miss him badly. I know I do. Peace to your ashes, Jim. You were a great pal.