Ay - 'The Green Fool' business, the libel action over the head of

Yes — that quote is correctly attributed to Patrick Kavanagh (1904–1967), the Irish poet and novelist best known for The Great Hunger and Tarry Flynn.

“Ay — The Green Fool business, the libel action over the head of it — did me a lot of damage. It destroyed the momentum.”
— Patrick Kavanagh

Context and Background

This remark refers to the libel case that arose from Kavanagh’s semi-autobiographical novel The Green Fool (1938). The book, a coming-of-age story set in rural Ireland, contained a passing reference to Oliver St. John Gogarty, the poet and physician who had also inspired the character “Buck Mulligan” in James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Gogarty sued Kavanagh for libel, claiming that a brief anecdote in the novel portrayed him in a defamatory light. Kavanagh lost the case, and although damages were small, the public scandal and financial burden severely affected his reputation and confidence.

Interpretation

When Kavanagh said,

“It destroyed the momentum,”
he was acknowledging how the lawsuit disrupted his early literary career. The controversy discouraged publishers and made it harder for him to find support, stalling what had seemed like a promising trajectory after his first novel’s release.

Summary

• Event referenced: Libel case following The Green Fool (1938)

• Impact: Emotional and professional setback for Kavanagh

• Tone: Regretful but candid — recognizing how external conflict derailed his creative progress

This quote captures Kavanagh’s characteristic honesty and self-reflection, as well as his sense of how fragile artistic momentum can be in the face of controversy.