Sir, - I am outraged by those who claim that the South African cricket captain, currently playing for Ireland, has no Irish connections.
You see, many Irish people emigrated to South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: those who found themselves in Afrikaans speaking territory changed their names to a more acceptable, Batavian form, just as Gaelic names were Anglicised here. For example, Croker became Kruger, McGowan became Smuts, Devilly became De Villiers, Clarke or Clerkin became De Klerk, and last, but not least, Murphy became Van der Merwe.
The connection, therefore, is not with the Middle Dutch word for "crown" or "coronet", but - as my recent researchers show - with the Crones, Cronins, or McCrohans of Northwest Roscommon; less likely is a link with the Cronjes of Cronjekilty. We should, therefore, welcome the "Crown Prince" back from the diaspora and, to mark the occasion, rename the 32 counties' team "The Orange . . . Free State".
Yours, etc.,
Beech Park,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.