b'AROUND THE WORLDMONACOTheIrelandFundofMonacoResidentialBursariesAwarded biannually, The Ireland Fund of Monaco Resi-dential 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 pleased to present this personal re-flection written by author James Ryan on his experience in MonacoAbout the Author:James Ryan is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He is Director of the Creative Writing Programme at the School of English, Drama and Film in University College Dublin. His novels include Home from England (Phoenix, London 1995), Dismantling Mr Doyle (Phoenix, London 1997), Seeds of Doubt (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 2001) and South of the Border (Lilliput, Dublin 2008). The novel on which he is currently working, The Library, Talking to Strangers, is due for publication in 2015. which houses one of the finest collectionsMarie-de-Lorraine below, poring over the There were, of course, many other memora-of books of Irish interest in the world, is aextraordinaryarrayofeventsandactivi- ble aspects to the residency, but what I think hub of cultural and scholarly activity, mak- tiesinwhichthelibraryisbothdirectlywill be the most lasting of these is the insight ing it much more than a library in the tra- andindirectlyinvolved.AnyquestionsII got into the way of life in the Principal-ditional sense of the term. It is, in fact, amight have had in advance about what to doity; the joy and pride on the occasion of thecultural centre, hosting a year round seriesand see at weekends were answered in onebaptismoffive-month-oldHereditary of lectures and talks, exhibitions, occasionalfell swoop. Meanwhile, it was down to workPrince Jacques and his twin sister Princessclasses for nearby lyce students and tripsonthenovel,Talking to Strangers,whichIGabriellaChildrenofTSHPrinceAlbert for its diverse habitus to places of culturalcame to the library to complete. I could notIIandPrincessCharlene,thecolourand interest. It plays a pivotal role in dissemi- haveaskedfor,orevenimagined,better dramaofPortHercules,thesharedsense nating information about Ireland, past andworkingconditions.Therewasnoexcuseofexcitementaseveryonegearedupfor present,andsupportstheendeavoursofbuttolaunchin,whichIdid,sustaining theGrandPrix,thedailyfoodmarketinawiderangeofartists,designers,writersmomentum for the month I spent there. Beausoleil, the gilded opera house with its and scholars working in the region. Orga- Mylatewife,CarolineWalsh greatsouthfacingwindowsoverlookingnizing and overseeing all of this requires a[LiteraryEditoroftheIrishTimes1999- theMediterraneanand,mostofall,the wellinformed,imaginativeadministrator2011] and I had tried to arrange a visit tofriendliness I encountered at every turn.with considerable interpersonal skills and aE1027 [Eileen Grays modernist house byItwasanopportunityforwhich keen interest not only in the arts but in cur- theseashore]atRoquebruneCapMartin rent affairs and history. The library is for- inthesummerbeforeherdeath.JudithImverygratefultoTheIreland tunate enough to have such a person: Judithwas aware of this and in the individualisticFunds,theeverhelpfullibrary Gantley.way she goes about thingsa phone call or Withinhoursofarrivinginthetwo, some online checking and, I suspect, team,GraldineLanceandSle libraryforthefirsttimeonApril20th, some subtle persuadingwe, my son Matt,Jackson and, in particular, to our Judithprovidedagooddealofinforma- daughter Alice and other friends visiting for tion about ways of making the most of mythe weekend, found ourselves part of a smallunofficial cultural ambassador in stay in the Principality. It was a great start.group,thefirstvisitorsintoE1027afterMonaco, Judith Gantley. I sat at my desk in the book lined office, many years of restoration. This was the high windows thrown open onto the rue Princessepoint of the residency. James Ryanconnect2015 | 110'