b"AROUND THE WORLD | THE IRELAND FUND OF MONACOThe Ireland Fund of Monaco Residential BursariesThe Ireland Fund of Monaco Residential Bursaries were established to enable writers born or living in Ireland to pursue a current project during a one-month residency at the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. We are pleasedto present this personal reflection of Polly Devlin on her experience in Monaco. Learn more about Polly Devlin and theIreland Fund of Monaco Residential Bursaries at www.theirelandfunds.orgYou Call This Work?BY POLLY DEVLINWhat did I know about Monaco before I went there? I had two overlapping ideas.One was all the clichs. Tiny. Overcrowded. Tax refuge. Gambling. Gin palaces.Monte Carlo. The other was a dream of innocent glamour.Myth means that which is spoken but my myth was that which is sung, in thiscase a corny old song made famous by Charles Coborn calledThe Man who Brokethe Bank at Monte Carlo . Decades ago, in the depths of rural Ireland I listened enthralled as my father sang it, (now, he was a gambler) and I fell in love with theidea of Monaco, its unattainable glamour. So I had a childish image of a fabulousplace later overlain by the current negative perceptions. What I found was a place entirely to my liking. The people I met there werebusy, mannerly, and generous. I explored the charming old town up on the rock, enjoyed the impeccability of the principality, its order, and its brilliant transport. I loved my daily journey to work in a boat across the harbor, and walking alongsidethe Mediterranean. Who could ask for more? Me. I ate regularly in La Montgolfierea delicious restaurant and now have a pudding named after me. Polly Pudding?HmmmI relished every minute of my stay which was due to the generosity of The Ireland Fund of Monaco which awarded me a Residential Bursary at the PrincessGrace Irish Library near the Palace, in a congenial room lined with first editions ofIrish books plus the invaluable help of the administrator Judith Gantley (who became a friend) and Graldine Lance, and her never ending patience, plus, yesplus an apartment overlooking a farmer's market where I did all my shopping, buying my courgettes in France and my salad inMonaco. So cosmopolitan! I feltblessed and creative. I owe a great debt of gratitude to everyone concerned. And Iactually did what I came for. I wroteand wrote. I have the next book to prove it. connect2012 | 121"