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Irish Examiner
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Patrick Cotter: 'The world is being led by the generation that did not experience World War II'
Writing in dark times, poet and director of the Munster Literature Centre, Patrick Cotter, devotes a section in his new collection to war under the heading, 'Songs in a Time of War'. The book, Cotter's fourth collection, entitled Quality Control at the Miracle Factory, is testament to his strong observational powers and empathy for his fellow man (and woman). 'As a child, my childhood was dominated by the culture of war,' says Cotter. 'Boys' toys were all war toys and war films were popular. I remember at three years of age watching television and seeing footage of the Vietnam War. I have a memory of seeing the first petrol bombs being thrown during the Troubles.' In his previous collection, Sonic White Poise, Cotter included a section called 'War Songs in a Time of Peace'. He recalls broadcaster and journalist Olivia O'Leary interviewing him about the book's preoccupations. 'I had been sent questions in advance. I expressed the belief that I thought we were at the end of a Belle Époque. That was 2021. The last Belle Époque was at the turn of the twentieth century. We had sixty years of mostly peace in Europe. There was a certain deep complacency before World War I began.' It's bad enough that there are wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Cotter hopes there isn't going to be another big war. "One of the problems we have now is that the world is being led by the generation that did not experience World War II. We're being led by f**king eejits who think they can win wars.' Smaller 'wars' meanwhile are being suffered every day on our streets and are of consequence to Cotter while others would just walk on by. In his poem, Elegy for a Cork Woman Who Died in Winter, the poet writes about Vanessa O'Callaghan who died last year after being attacked in the city where she slept rough. With her 'ten-dollar name living thruppeny bit days', O'Callaghan was a familiar face to Cotter. Patrick Cotter has just published his latest collection, Quality Control At The Miracle Factory. 'She always perked up when she saw me coming. If I had coins, I'd give her something. She appreciated it. But as the poem outlines, that's not something we can afford to clap ourselves on the back for.' O'Callaghan 'never knew the insides of our heated homes.' Cotter grew up in the shadow of St Fin Barre's Cathedral on Bishop's Street. He wrote his first poem at the age of nine and wished to be a writer for as long as he can remember. He attended Deerpark secondary school, now Coláiste Éamann Rís. He went to UCC but did not complete his arts degree. 'I came from a family that was dependent on social welfare. I found myself trying to do work, for instance, as a night porter and going to college at the same time. It just wasn't doable. The reason I went to college was because I wanted to be a poet. I didn't want to be a teacher. "Coming from my background, the only use of a BA was to be a teacher. I was from a social class that didn't really understand what a BA was for. I spent a lot of the time in UCC library, reading books that were not on my course. I was also politically involved, what is nowadays called an activist.' In his job with the Munster Literature Centre, Cotter's responsibility is to give other writers in the city and county opportunities. 'I have to hold myself back. It's frustrating. I can't put myself on the programme for the Cork Poetry Festival. But we now have a fringe event before the festival. My book will be launched at that.' Cotter's day job involves organising the Cork Poetry Festival and the Cork International Short Story Festival. He also edits the journal, Southword, sets up mentorships and workshops and awards prizes. It's a busy position. 'I feel I would have published many more books if it wasn't for my job. But on the other hand, I've met writers who work in factories, and as teachers - admittedly for just eight months of the year. Most writers can't make money out of writing. The strange thing is most of the poets associated with Cork city were from working class backgrounds, with no money. "What has happened in recent years is that all these writing degrees have been established. That has made a writing degree attractive to people from middle-class backgrounds who can justify it to their families,' says Cotter. Quality Control at the Miracle Factory by Patrick Cotter was launched at Waterstones on Monday May 12. Cork International Poetry Festival continues until May 17
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
New Leaving Cert science redevelopment project fails to address ‘crisis' in staff shortages
The ASTI is Ireland's main second level teachers union and represents 20,200 teachers across community schools, community colleges, comprehensive schools and voluntary secondary schools. From September 2025 to 2029 new and revised Leaving cert subject specifications are set to be introduced on a phased basis across the entire Senior Cycle curriculum as part of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme. In response to the revised science subject specifications, half of all principals and deputy principals have said their schools do not have enough science laboratories to meet the number of students in their schools. Additionally, 47% said they have teacher supply problems for science subjects and 44% believe their science labs are not well equipped. Aaron Wolfe is the principal at Coláiste Éamann Rís secondary school in Cork City. He told the Irish Independent that despite progress in funding for science lab equipment and curricular reform, many schools, including his, do not have the space needed to benefit from them. Mr. Wolfe's school is due to have an extension built to add two new science labs to the school which will bring them up to four labs, however, he said they are still at stage one of the process and do not have planning permission presently. He said: 'We have a school of nearly 800 students and using two labs makes it difficult for timetabling, you're reduced in the amount of time you can do the practical elements of the course, it makes it challenging and we wouldn't be the only school in the country who are facing these kinds of challenges with regards to science.' Speaking about the availability of equipment Mr. Wolfe said: 'The government did launch funding to buy science lab equipment the problem is if you don't actually have the room or the storage facilities for that equipment, we have very small storerooms in the school, two storerooms with the two science labs. 'Science for us is not underfunded in terms of equipment, it's getting the access to the equipment, it's more rooms we need.' He continued: "Education in this country is not properly funded then you have the teacher shortage, it's trying to even get the science teachers to be able to actually teach the subjects and these are all added burdens to the management of schools.' ADVERTISEMENT According to the ASTI/RedC survey, almost three-quarters of second level school principals work more than 50 hours per week and over a third work for 56 or more hours. The survey revealed that unsustainable workloads and a 'relentless' stream of new initiatives and policies is preventing schools leaders from focusing on key leadership duties, particularly in terms of leading teaching and learning in their schools. Mr. Wolfe said: 'There's a crisis there in education because no one wants to actually become a principal anymore because they just see the burden on principals to meet all the legislative demands that are being put in place. "Any new initiative that is being rolled out by the Department of Education is being put on 'well the principal can do this' and you have a constant stream of circulars arriving into schools of extra work that the principal is required to do and very little of those circulars have to do with teaching and learning.' He added: "On top of all this you have this curriculum reform, it seems to be that they're pushing on with reform whether it's needed or whether it's wanted or not but the fact is we don't actually have teachers to go into the classrooms and teach this new curriculum in the first place. "It makes it challenging for the teachers but teachers will make do but I suppose we're reaching a stage where we shouldn't have to make do, that we have this new course and any sort of change to the curriculum should be properly funded.' "It shouldn't be up to schools to find work arounds, we should just have the facilities that we need deliver a top class education.' Mr. Wolfe said he believes there is a crisis in Ireland in that there are not enough young people going into the teaching profession which he says is evident in the job advertisements being put online as the number of applicants have fallen or there are not applicants at all. He shared that staff shortages in schools are compounding the issue and that aside from science teacher shortages, guidance councillors are also in short supply. He said: "For guidance councillor positions, I've had no applications, I'm going to have to re-advertise for it. We're a city centre school, we have a fantastic WSC, great place to work, but we have no applicants because guidance councillors don't exist out there and now there's a mental health crisis in this country but we don't have guidance councillors, we don't have enough guidance councillors to go into the schools to fill these positions, that's a problem.' Applications for a guidance councillor position had closed on Friday, April 11, 2025 with no applicants, Mr Wolfe said he has had to re-advertise for it and that the same position was left vacant last year as they were unable to fill it.
