logo
#

Latest news with #WritingFestival

Anti-Israel sentiment may have prompted taking of 200-year-old Borris House banner, owner believes
Anti-Israel sentiment may have prompted taking of 200-year-old Borris House banner, owner believes

Irish Times

time04-07-2025

  • General
  • Irish Times

Anti-Israel sentiment may have prompted taking of 200-year-old Borris House banner, owner believes

The owners of Borris House in Co Carlow have appealed for the return a banner resembling the Star of David which has been in the family more than 200 years. The banner was taken during the Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas last month – one of the most popular and prestigious festivals of its kind in Ireland or Britain. The Kavanagh family believe a festivalgoer removed the banner from the chapel area because he or she believed it was a Star of David. In fact, it is a Masonic symbol known as the Seal of Solomon or the hexagram. It is supposed to symbolise how the physical and spiritual realms mirror each other. READ MORE It can be observed in tandem with the other prominent Masonic symbol visible in the chapel, namely the All Seeing Eye at the top of the arch over the altar. The Seal of Solomon has been in the building since it was built in 1816. The Star of David as a symbol of Jewishness was not widely known until the end of the 19th century and was adopted as the Israeli flag in 1948. The banner was removed from the chapel between the evening of Friday, June 6th, and the following afternoon. A social media post showed its disappearance from where it had hung in front of the pulpit for more than two centuries. The chapel was used throughout the festival for events. Mr Kavanagh said he was perplexed that anybody would want to take the banner as it had no intrinsic value. 'It's quite a genteel, middle-class festival. You wouldn't imagine such a thing happening,' he said. 'I feel someone has misread the situation and has taken offence to it. They obviously thought there was an Israeli connection with our family, which there isn't.' The festival had about 5,000 attendees over the three days from June 6th to 8th. The matter has been reported to gardaí, but the family is not looking for a prosecution. 'If somebody quietly slips it into a package and returns it, we would be really grateful,' Mr Kavanagh said.

Bournemouth Writing Festival set to host first naked session
Bournemouth Writing Festival set to host first naked session

BBC News

time09-04-2025

  • Entertainment
  • BBC News

Bournemouth Writing Festival set to host first naked session

Aspiring writers are being urged to "strip off to get inspired", following in the footsteps of authors like Victor Hugo, Agatha Christie and Ian Writing Festival, which runs from 25 to 27 April, has announced it will be offering its first naked writing ticket-only event was organised in partnership with British Naturism and will take place on 23 April at Springbourne Director Dominic Wong said: "Obviously some people may be shy at first but once you're in the swing of it everyone wants to be involved." The writing festival will feature authors, TV and film screenwriters, journalists, editors, writing coaches and literary Wong said: "Whilst this session will be a first for the festival, naked writing certainly isn't new in literary circles. "Agatha Christie was said to be a huge fan, whilst Ernest Hemingway not only stripped, but also stood up naked to write."Indeed, when faced with writer's block the great Victor Hugo was said to have ordered his manservant to take all his clothes and leave him with only a pen and paper, so he would have nothing left to do except sit and write."Poet Jon Seagrave, who will be leading the workshop, said: "Delivering a workshop unclothed will also be a first for me, but sharing my love of writing and encouraging a new group of people to explore their writing is always a fantastic experience."Another plus point of course, is that I won't need to worry about what to wear."Andrew Welch from British Naturism said "social nudity" was on the rise in the UK."The number of nude events now available is wide-ranging, from hotel weekends to naked dining, and boat trips to museum visits, with hundreds of opportunities around the country," he added. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store