Top academics gird loins for heated debates in Trim

Skin and hair may well fly at the academic lectures in the forthcoming Trim Swift Festival. This is the tantalising prospect being held out by the organisers of the annual event, which takes place from July 2nd-5th. 'We had some of this carry-on last year, and it certainly changed my opinion of academics as being timid gentlemen and ladies who wouldn"t say boo to a goose. Lots of geese got booed - and it looks like we"ll have more of the same this year,' said festival executive, Barbara Nestor. The robust nature of the statements and counter-statements were remarked upon by Ms Nestor, who said the speakers and their academic listeners tend to hold very strong opinions and are not shy about voicing them. 'I remember thinking to myself last year 'he can"t say that, can he?" and he could! And did! You wouldn"t be nodding off at some of these lectures, I can tell you. You might miss a good dig from one speaker at another!' This year"s line-up of speakers includes academic stars from American and German universities as well as from the UK and Ireland. On the surface, their subjects are quite sedate; they will be discussing and exploring Jonathan Swift"s literary, cultural and political legacy. 'Beneath the surface there is great potential for heated argument and disagreement,' said Ms Nestor, who pointed out that one of the highlights will be the talk by Professor Robert Mahony on the vexed question of Swift"s nationalism. Was Swift genuinely opposed to English misgovernment, without necessarily wanting to break the link with England? Or was he always a supporter of the Irish Colonial Project? 'These issues are still live today and they are bound to arouse some passions during the question sessions that follow each lecture,' added Ms Nestor. Professor Mahony was director of the Center for Irish Studies at the Catholic University of America, Washington DC, and is the founder and director of the annual Jonathan Swift symposium at St Patrick"s Cathedral, Dublin. He will speak on 'Swift and the Irish Colonial Project". The series of lectures take place on Friday and Saturday 3rd-4th July in Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim. Other speakers are Richard Holmes, University of Bristol; Professor Hugh Ormsby-Lennon, Villanova University, Philadelphia, USA; Dr Greg Lynall, University of Liverpool; Professor Hermann J Real, Ehrenpreis Centre for Swift Studies, Munster, Germany, and Dr Frank Ferguson, Institute of Ulster-Scots Studies, University of Ulster. The series concludes on the Saturday with a round table discussion on the lectures held over the two days. Bookings for these and other festival events can be made at: www.trimswiftfestival.com