Its time for the East Clare Book Burning Festival.

Next year (2010) will be the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Edna O’Brien’s book, the "Country Girls". It’s publication, subsequent banning and alleged burning on the grounds of a church in East Clare should be celebrated. It should be celebrated for it provides a bench mark from whence this society has progressed. Current generations, who are facing economic and financial uncertainty, need to understand how we, as a population living on an Island off the west of Europe, have moved from a society of ill tolerant, repressed, inward looking and closed minds. Of course there are those who argue quite rightly that we have not progressed enough, and those that yearn for a return to some of the more positive values of 1950's Ireland. However, in the whole there is agreement that our progression has been positive.

People of my vintage generally mark that progression with the events of 31st January 1984, the death of Anne Lovett and her baby. This is the benchmark from which I judge this progression. It was the rigorous honesty and accuracy of O’Brien in writing the Country Girls that began, and continues, the process whereby we as a people began to embrace the value of openness that allowed us to evaluate these events in a more open and compassionate manner.

I am aware that Edna O Brien may, perhaps, be a divisive character in East Clare. Concerns have been raised about the brutal honesty in her portraying events still raw in the nerve of the local communities. Yet it needs to be remembered that she stood on local toes with the publication of the Country Girls, also. O’Brien holds the distinction of being one of the few authors from this county whose work was banned. That distinction is shared with another great Clare author, Brian Merriman whose work was banned 150 years after his death only when it translated from Irish in to English.

At this point it must be admitted that having your books banned was almost a badge of honour among Irish authors in the middle of the 20th century. James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan and Frank O'Connor all joined the distinguished band of writers who fell foul of the Censorship of Publications Board. Also in 1988, a member of the public unsuccessfully submitted the Bible to the board as a book that should be banned. There are still titles on the Censorship Boards banned list, "Kung Fu Nuns" for example banned in 1995 automatically makes me want to do a quick trawl of the web and purchase it.

The long and laboured point I may have failed to make, simply is that what distinguishes O’ Brien is the allegation that her book was burnt outside a church in East Clare. Some deny this. Others say it is true. One way or the other, it should be used as an excuse for a celebration simply because we need one and also to clarify what Edna O’Brien means to Clare. The accolades given by a number of individuals in Limerick to the author of Angeles Ashes, Frank McCourt, after his death, despite vilifying him when the book was published, is a particularly nauseating episode I would not like to see repeated in Clare.

The burning of a book may sound extreme, but burning a book at least shows that the book has been read. The worst thing you can do to a book is not read it. Let us start our own traditions, some towns may squeeze a few tourist Euro out of hoisting a puck goat to the top of a pole for a few days and organising a festival around it for reasons that are obscured by the mists of time. Lets burn a book in celebration of reasons we understand and have our own festival. Perhaps O’Brien herself might light the match.