A host of Irish writers are protesting the termination of funding to the Irish Writers’ Centre. As the Guardian writes, closure of the centre would mean the loss of a focal point for events, discussions, conferences and holding archives.

The Irish Writers’ Centre, which [Irish author] Seamus Heaney has called “a part of the literary culture” and [Costa prize winner John] Boyne “a part of the fabric of literature in Ireland”, works to develop and foster new Irish writing, providing a space for literary events, festivals and courses, as well as a home for a host of writers’ groups. [T]he decision to terminate its funding meant that access to these resources would be lost, “leaving the next generation of Irish authors in a vacuum and having to look elsewhere for guidance and development”.