Comhar values

For the past few months, I have been acting as Interim Editor of the monthly magazine, Comhar (pronounced ‘core’). It is actually the second time I have edited the journal which has been on the go for over 60 years and deals mainly in current affairs and literature. I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the experience. The February issue is now out and I have started working on March’s edition. (Yes, there is no rest for the wicked.)

There are a number of things that have struck me about the magazine. The amount of good will that there is towards Comhar has been humbling. There is no doubt – without sounding like a total hippie – that Comhar has captured some sort of energy and its spirit simply refuses to die. People have been more than happy to contribute and the range of material available has been first class. Certainly, the number of talented young writers is very heartening and it seems that the printed word has not entirely lost its attraction to the Facebook generation. In addition, more established writers have not been found wanting and are giving the whole enterprise a little gravitas and name recognition. I can’t thank the various writers enough for their support and, while they have done so much to put the magazine back on track, there remains much work to do.

Certainly, Comhar has the chance to regain its place as a very significant forum for contemporary writing in Irish and complement the work that is being done by the weekly newspaper Foinse and the monthly internet mag Beo! There is certainly a niche there for Comhar – material that is too long for a newspaper or that does not make for easy reading on the Internet but which can, over the proverbial cup of coffee, provide the reader with something substantial.

Of course, reading this on the Internet you might be tempted to try and read Comhar on-line. You won’t be able to at the moment as we have not established an on-line presence and still rely on subscribers and shop sales. That said, the designer, Ciarán Ó Súilleabháin, has done a great job in making the printed artefact very attractive to the eye. It may be old-fashioned to admit it but there is something comforting about actually holding a magazine in your hands as opposed to simply viewing it on-line. Still, Comhar will develop an on-line presence at some stage and the board's magazine are talking about it.

In the meantime, if you are passing Waterstone’s in Belfast or Eason’s in Dublin, the magazine should be available. The current issue has Monsignor Réamonn Ó Muireadhaigh (Raymond Murray) writing on Colombia; editor of Foinse, Seán Tadhg Ó Gairbhí on his experiences in Washington DC the day Barack Obama became president; Gabriel Rosenstock’s wry look at what is happening on Mother Earth; a review of Seán Mac Mathúna’s Hula Hul by critic Fionntán de Brún and regular columnists, Rachel Ní Fhionnáin and Mícheál Ó Ruairc.

Don’t be shy about getting some old-fashioned ink on your fingers. It won’t do you any harm and Comhar would be grateful for the support.

Bí ag léamh.