Letters 2013: from cavemen, selfies and ‘that’, to Polyester Protestants and the troika

January

The Gathering 2013

Sir, - Now that The Gathering has been launched and we are once more asked to don the green shirt, I would encourage the Taoiseach to also extend a warm welcome to our tax exiles to return to Ireland and pay their taxes here. - Yours, etc,

PATRICK HARRINGTON,

Ballinteer Court,

Dublin 16.

Inside Irish beef burgers

Sir, - Fifty shades of neigh. - Yours, etc,

ANTOIN MULLEN,

Kinsealy Court,

Kinsealy, Co Dublin.

Cry of the ‘Skibbereen Eagle’

Sir, - Are we beginning to regain our confidence ? Apparently so , to judge by your headline, “Kerry vows to keep pressure on Iran” (Breaking News, January 25th). Let Putin beware. - Yours, etc,

ROBIN HARTE,

Strawberry Beds, Dublin 20.

February

Fast forward to
‘Irish Times’ in 2023

Sir, - The front page of the futuristic Irish Times is interesting. It suggests that in 2023 we will have reached Mars and be holidaying in Space. Looking at the banner photograph on the front page however shows one woman very much stuck in the past . . . smoking a cigarette in public . . . in 2023! - Yours, etc,

EMMELINE SEARSON,

Bru na Ghruadan,

Castletroy, Co Limerick.

Breathalysing Deputy Daly

Sir, - So gardaí breathalysed Clare Daly, and got a breath of fresh air. Why are we not surprised? - Yours, etc,

OLIVER DUFFY,

Fremont Drive,

Melbourn Estate, Cork.

O’Brien defamation
and a ‘free press’

Sir, - Denis O’Brien awarded €150,000. Unfortunately, that is all I can say. - Yours, etc,

KEVIN DEVITTE,

Mill Street, Westport,

Co Mayo.

Selling State assets

Sir, - As the troika is insisting that we sell State assets, why don’t we hold on to our trees and sell the State-owned banks? - Yours, etc,

AVRIL HEDDERMAN,

Priory Grove,

Stillorgan, Co Dublin.

March

‘Provo’ car outrage

Sir, - Regarding the decision of Korean motor company Kia not to proceed with plans to name its new sports model “Provo” (Home News, March 6th): “Tiocfaidh ár carr”? - Yours, etc,

PAUL DELANEY,

Beacon Hill, Dalkey,

Co Dublin.

Property tax exemptions

Sir, - I note that houses in ghost estates are exempt from property tax (Politics, March 21st). A case of no taxation with visitation? - Yours, etc,

NIALL McARDLE,

Wellington Street,

Eganville,

Ontario, Canada .

Awash with the weather

Sir, - I see from the Front page (March 23rd) that among the items washed onto the N11 by the heavy rain were “tree particles”. Twigs’ bosons, perhaps? - Yours, etc,

MARK HAYDEN,

Rue des Epicéas, Brussels.

April

Trouble with threesomes

Sir, - Is today’s Ireland caught between the Trinity, the troika and the threesome? - Yours, etc,

MAOLSHEACHLANN

Ó CEALLAIGH,

Sillogue Gardens,

Ballymun, Dublin 11.

What of that?

Sir, - Does inserting an extra word in the Joyce coin (Home News, April 11th) constitute a form of “quantitative easing”, and so run foul of ECB rules? - Yours, etc,

FELIX M LARKIN,

Vale View Lawn,

Cabinteely, Dublin 18.

What of ‘that’?

Sir, - It would appear to me that it is no longer the story of “Why”, but the story of “That”. - Yours, etc,

JANE HASTIE,

Ballynerrin Lr, Wicklow.

May

Name for new Liffey bridge

Sir, - The suspension is killing me.- Yours, etc,

TOM GILSENAN,

Elm Mount,

Beaumont, Dublin 9.

Residence tax for emigrants

Sir, - Thanks to Ceire Sadlier and to The Irish Times for publishing her letter on May 13th, we too discovered that we were liable to pay the non principal private residence tax. It seems that The Irish Times Letters page is a more effective means of advertising this tax obligation than the local authorities' choices so far. - Yours, etc,

THOMAS HUBERT &

MARY TRAYNOR,

Avenue Simon Bolivar,

Paris, France.

Shortage of humanist solemnisers

A chara, - Isn’t it ironic that humanist celebrants find themselves in limbo (Home News, May 27th) six years after the Vatican abolished it? - Is mise,

LOMAN O LOINGSIGH

Ellipper Road, Dublin 24.


June

Cuts in special needs assistance

Sir, - I assume the decision on supports for special needs primary school children makes Enda Kenny a Taoiseach who cares but not a caring Taoiseach. - Yours, etc,

DERMOT SHINNERS

-KENNEDY,

Ballysimon,

Limerick.

Hanging adverbs

Sir, - Paradoxically, while Frank McNally might sound like a hanging adverb, he is, in fact, a proper noun. - Yours, etc,

PÁDRAIC HARVEY

Bóthar an Chillín,

An Cheathrú Rua,

Co na Gaillimhe.

July

The dropping of O’Driscoll

Sir, - What . . .NO’Driscoll? - Yours, etc,

JOHN O’DONNELL,

Temple Villas,

Dublin 6.

Me Darwin, you Jane

Sir, - Would Charles Darwin regard the decision to replace him with Jane Austen on the £10 note (World News, July 25th) as evidence for or against the survival of the fittest? - Yours, etc,

EIMER

PHILBIN BOWMAN,

Pembroke Lane, Dublin 4.


August

Oh boy, it’s a GAL

Sir, - Is George Alexander Louis a good idea for naming a boy, initially? - yours, etc,

MICHAEL DUGGAN,

Kilcredan,

Ladysbridge, Co Cork.
Worship in a warehouse

Sir, - Fingal County Council is annoyed at people using warehouses to pray in (Home News, August 24th). Health and safety have been called in: presumably they have advised the users to get hold of some straw, and a couple of donkeys to keep the place warm. - Yours, etc,

KEN BUGGY,

Ballydubh Upper,

Co Waterford.

No country for ‘cavemen’?

Sir, - I write as a newly outed caveman. I have not had a television for 10 years or so, and do not miss it in the slightest. With the utmost troglodytic respect, Minister, if I am a Cro-Magnon, you, sir, are a Neanderthal. - Yours, etc,

PATRICK EDMOND

Ballymun Road,

Glasnevin, Dublin 9.


September

Remembering Seamus Heaney

Sir, - Seamus Heaney: “His coffin as befits a Giant seventy-four foot long. A foot for every year”. - Yours, etc,

DEREK SCANLAN,

Pleasants Street,

Portobello, Dublin 8.

Responsibility issues

Sir, - Fianna Fáil, the hierarchy, the bankers, the property speculators – they all have no difficulty in washing their hands of their responsibilities. Why can the medical professionals not follow suit? - Yours, etc,

GRAEME GUTHRIE,

Kilmeena,

Westport,

Co Mayo.
Something to tweet about

Sir, - The announcement that Twitter will employ an extra 100 individuals in Dublin is great (Business, September 25th). What a shame it did not stretch to 40 per cent more, as it could then have announced that its growth would lead to an extra 140 (real) characters here. - Yours, etc,

CONN CLISSMANN,

Citywest,

Dublin 24.

October

Aftermath of the
Seanad referendum

A chara, - Yes 19 per cent; No 20 per cent; Don’t care 61 per cent. - Is mise,

LOMAN O LOINGSIGH,

Ellensborough Drive,

Kiltipper Road, Dublin 24.

Sir, - Voting last Friday was like taking a Mensa test set by Éamon Ó Cuív. Did it have to be so hard? - Yours, etc,

MARK O’SULLIVAN,

Whitehall Road, Dublin 14.

Sir, - My commiserations to Taoiseach Enda Kenny on losing the Seanad referendum and the Senior All-Ireland football final. - Yours, etc,

DEREK HENRY CARR,

Harcourt Terrace,

Dublin 2.

‘Love/Hate’ cat saga

Sir, - As an animal lover I am comforted by the fact that according to the laws of quantum physics the now famous cat could, like Schrödinger’s cat, be both alive and dead at the same time. This should provide satisfaction for those on both sides of the argument. - Yours, etc,

EAMONN MANSFIELD,

Helvick,

Ring, Co Waterford.

Cuts and taxes in Budget 2014

Sir, - My mother will be spinning in her grave at the news of the bereavement grant being buried with her. - Yours, etc,

DENIS O’DONOGHUE,

Ardnapondra,

Moate,

Co Westmeath.

Polyester Protestants and sectarianism

Sir, - Enough of this divisive debate. Let us acknowledge our differences, celebrate our similarities and move forward together. As someone who worships in both Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, I do not see myself as a polyester Protestant or a woolly Anglican - but more as a cotton-rich Christian. - Yours, etc,

VENETIA HILL,

Mulgrave Terrace,

Dún Laoghaire,

Co Dublin.

Listening to calls of world leaders

Sir, - When President Obama came to Europe shortly after election, he promised his administration had come to Europe to listen and listen carefully. Nice to see a government keeping its word. - Yours, etc,

ROLAND EVANS,

Dundela Park,

Sandycove, Co Dublin.
Water, water . . . where?

Sir, - An excess of raw material causing a shortage of product. Well done, Dublin City Council (Home News, October 30th). - Yours, etc,

CONAN DOYLE,

Pococke Lower,

Kilkenny.

November

O’Toole’s 25 years a-commenting

Sir, - I put your supplement of “25 years of Irish life through the columns of Fintan O’Toole” (November 20th) to good cheerful use, this cold and wintry morning. I made paper sticks to light the fire. - Yours, etc,

KEITH NOLAN,

Caldragh,

Carrick-on-Shannon,

Co Leitrim.

The flight of the sparrows

Sir, - The appearance of a lone sparrow in Dublin Airport (Peter Pearson Evans, November 27th) answers the question about the disappearing flock. It is obvious they have taken flight and emigrated with the thousands of young Irish people who continue to leave the nest. - Yours, etc,

T McELLIGOTT,

Fortfield,

Raheen,

Limerick.

December

Troika turnoff

Sir, – When leaving the country, can the last member of the troika please switch out the lights? – Yours, etc,

WILLIE DILLON,

Coast Road,

Bettystown,

Co Meath.

Top-ups: the pantomime

Sir, – How heartening to hear that the CRC and HSE are getting into the spirit of pantomime season.

CRC: Oh yes you did!

HSE: Oh no we didn’t!

Repeat for comedic effect. – Yours, etc,

ANTHONY MORAN,

Knocknacarra Park,

Salthill, Galway.

A selfie, or not a selfie?

Sir, – Might I suggest that as there were three people in the controversial photo (Robin Harte, December 12th & Life, December 11th) it might more appropriately be described as a groupie? – Yours, etc,

CIANA CAMPBELL,

Cahercalla,

Ennis,

Co Clare.

Pigeons and top-ups

Sir, – Recent top-up scandals provide reassuring evidence that, no matter how impoverished we become here in Ireland, we need never go hungry as, even after we’ve eaten all the pigeons (Home News, December 13th), there will still be plenty of fat cats. – Yours, etc,

FINBAR O’CONNOR,

Claude Road,

Drumcondra, Dublin 9.