Madam, - Most days, when opening The Irish Times, I first seek out An Irishman's Diary in the hope that it will have been written by Kevin Myers. Apart from his facility with the pen, Mr Myers has two qualities which seem increasingly rare in Irish journalism: he can make me laugh and he can make me think. I do not always agree with his arguments nor share his opinions, but surely he would not require that of me.
The repeated use of a highly emotive word such as "bastard" may have been an attempt to provoke debate on an important topic in a way that Dr Ed Walsh's speech on the subject could never have hoped to do. If so, it was a serious miscalculation; "a grievous fault, and grievously hath Caesar answered it".
The controversial opinions and satires of Dean Swift drew similar hostility from citizens of this city nearly 300 years ago. It often takes time for the views of original thinkers to be appreciated. I hope that, like the Dean, Mr Myers will not be discouraged by the temperature of the water in which he has found himself in the past week or so. After all, didn't Some Like It Hot end with the line, "Nobody's perfect"? - Yours, etc.,
RAY McCONVILLE, Sonesta, Malahide, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Will Kevin Myers be subject to the Kyoto Protocol? - Yours, etc.,
KEITH NOLAN, Carrick~on~Shannon, Co Leitrim.
A chara - As an unmarried single mother, I was angered to read what can only be deemed an outright verbal attack on a specific and targeted group of people, including my one-year old son. Kevin Myers obviously has no real awareness of the lifestyle and challenges faced by single parents, male or female, otherwise he would not have been so ready to use such foul and cruel references. He must also be totally unaware of the rewards that single mothers gain from their experiences.
My life is not stifled and the benefits of raising my son far outweigh not being able to go out on a Friday night. I became a mother at the age of 18 and I know without a shadow of doubt that my son will never, ever turn to me and say "you would be a better mother if you were 30 and married".
I work and also attend a part-time college course - and I have still been there when my son took his first steps, cut his first tooth and all the hundred and one other things that make motherhood so rewarding. I love my son more than I ever thought possible and to have our life and my efforts degraded and ridiculed in such a callous fashion will be something that will never cease to insult me. My life is no less deserving of social acceptance than anyone else's because I made the decision not to marry.
As for Kevin Myers's apology, as far as I am concerned, the phrase "too little, too late" comes to mind. If there had not been a public uproar, would Mr Myers have seen the need to apologise? It appears that he seems to think a grovelling retraction coupled with excuses and self pity will some how take the focus away, but in the end he has come out looking, in my eyes, slightly hypocritical. - Yours, etc.,
JENNIFER FITZPATRICK, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.