Sir, - It has been suggested that immigrants may significantly alter our distinctive culture. But we are quite capable of doing this ourselves!
Since Independence we have willingly dumped our own language. We eagerly buy English newspapers and consume a daily diet of American sit-coms and Australian soaps. Compared with 20 years ago, look at how much wine we drink with our meals (some of it even Romanian!) and how many of those meals consist of pizza, pasta, curry, goulash, etc.
Despite this onslaught of foreign influences, our own music and dance are thriving. Attendances at GAA matches are soaring alongside the increasing interest in that foreign sport, soccer.
Our culture and heritage are currently attracting record numbers of tourists. We are only too happy to accept their entrance fees to the castle and stately homes built here by the British invaders. We lead them around Dublin's Georgian squares proudly pointing out the buildings associated with artists whose views in their day were seen by most people as a threat to our traditional values.
In the summer months, if you tour Dublin's pubs, you will find that the bars with loud rock music are full of young Irish people and the old traditional pubs are full of foreign tourists.
Many of our most celebrated artists spend much of their time abroad bringing our culture to a world stage but also bringing back elements of other cultures which they have experienced and enjoyed and incorporating these into their work.
We have done far more ourselves to alter our culture than a hundred times the current number of immigrants could manage, even if they really put their minds to it. -Yours, etc.,
Trinity Square, Dublin 2.