Russia and Afghanistan
Sir, – Eunan O’Halpin’s letter concerning the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan (Letters, December 29th) was a serious distortion of what was actually involved, and reflects the now knee jerk reaction of Russophobia to anything relating to Russia or its predecessor state.
The Soviet Union naturally supported the left government which ended the monarchy in 1973, and urged it to follow a cautious line of internal reform and development. The most difficult part of this was the giving of equal rights to women, and the provision of education for girls, a policy pursued by the new government and supported by the Soviet Union.
Internal differences within the ruling bloc, however, saw the emergence of an adventurist policy of imitating the then Chinese style of land reform, a policy which placed the whole revolution in danger.
Afghan communist leader Hafizullah Amin spoke for that pro-Chinese group, the Khalq faction, and began a purge of the Parcham faction, the more moderate socialist faction of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, led by veteran revolutionary Babrak Karmal. The Soviet intervention – which, incidentally the famous British defector Kim Philby supposedly advised against on the grounds that the USSR should not get involved in internal Afghan conflicts – was designed to protect the Parcham faction.
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This had nothing to do with fears of Islamic unrest in any of the Soviet republics, but was part of the juggling for power between the USSR, China and the United States, already even at that stage attempting to undo the revolution.
Mr O’Halpin ignores the progressive policies of women’s equality, land reform, social care and so on develop by Karmal, and resorts instead to the tired trope of an aggressive Russia, a demonisation so central today to discussions of Ukraine war and Nato’s threats to Russia. – Yours, etc,
EOIN Ó MURCHÚ,
Cluain Dolcáin
Baile Atha Cliath 22
Saving the written word
Sir, – For those of you who were lucky enough to receive cards from Britain costing the sender £3.40 for the stamp, be grateful. I agree with Cormac Meehan (Letters, December 29th) that writing with a pen on paper requires consideration and the effort contains something very personal which is not present in an email or a text.
A letter is possibly saved for many years which few emails are, however much they are sent with affection.
To lose the art of letter-writing is to lose part of ourselves. For those who have forgotten that Ireland is no longer part of Britain and used a second-class stamp, I look forward to reading them at Easter, or maybe next Christmas. – Yours, etc,
PATRICIA COOGAN O’DELL,
Ballydehob,
Co Cork.
Sir, – Cormac Meehan states (Letters, December 29th) that we have a duty to save the written word. Twenty years ago we moved house and many items (including the Christmas decorations) were duly transferred from an old attic to a new one. Years later when setting up the Christmas tree we found an old file containing our sons’ letters to Santa Claus. It was a joy for them and us to read again what they had written and to see their different personalities shining through their letters. Now every Christmas they occupy pride of place under our tree. – Yours, etc,
TONY WOOL,
Ballincollig,
Co Cork.
Live Christmas Trees
Sir, – What a refreshing suggestion from Maura Prendergast (Letters, December 26th) who enjoyed her live Christmas tree in a pot and looks forward to a repeat performance from the same tree in future years. A sustainable product, the tree will continue to grow in her garden capturing carbon as it grows until Christmas comes around again. – Yours, etc,
MARY RIGNEY,
Kilgobbin,
Dublin 18.
Lights on graves at Christmas
Sir, – It was dusk when I got to my late husband’s grave this year. It is always a sad time at Christmas with so many memories. As I drove through the gates of the cemetery I was greeted with twinkling lights everywhere as the graves had little Christmas trees lit up with white and coloured lights. It was a heart-lifting sight to see and it made my visit so much easier. Let there be light. – Yours, etc,
ANNE CRILLY,
Clogherhead,
Co Louth.
Trump’s Doonbeg ballroom
Sir, – What is it about Donald Trump and ballrooms? With work on the foundations of his ostentatious and overscale ballroom set to begin in January on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House, he has now submitted plans to construct a new ballroom at his Doonbeg golf resort in west Clare.
Could Mr Trump – renowned for his fancy footwork – be putting out some kind of subliminal message that he is eager to be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars? – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
The worth of nursing
Sir, – As a theatre nurse and mother of daughters studying law and medicine, I see first-hand the automatic respect that law and medicine attract. Nursing, by contrast, is still too often framed as a “vocation”, as if that could excuse low pay, understaffing and a steady erosion of status.
In one of the institutions where I worked, the surgeons and physicians were rightly regarded as world class, while the fact that nursing was the backbone of the hospital was rarely acknowledged.
Modern nursing is not sentimental work. It requires rapid clinical decisions, early recognition of deterioration, complex medication management and constant engagement with technology. It is degree-level work because practice demands it.
Its undervaluing is rooted in its largely female history, praised for “caring” while underpaid and overlooked. Recent international proposals to downgrade nursing from degree status show how easily highly skilled work is dismissed when its complexity is not understood. If nursing were fully recognised as the profession it is, we might see fewer debates about why it is so hard to retain experienced staff.
Without a doubt, nursing is a privilege, but it is a profession first, and it should be recognised and resourced accordingly. – Yours, etc,
CIARA O’TOOLE,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18
National Economic and Social Council report
Sir, – An ageing population, dramatically falling birth rates, a reduction in numbers working, a reduction in tax take, failure regarding provision of essential services and infrastructure (health, housing, transport, utilities, etc) – the list goes on and what is the Government doing to address these issues?
Little and less would appear to be the answer. The recent report of the National Economic and Social Council (“Ireland must encourage larger families and higher migration as birth rates fall, report warns”, December 29th) once again highlights these problems facing the country and the ongoing failure of government to be sufficiently proactive.
For example, rather than take positive and proactive steps to attract young, educated immigrants to come here to settle, work and raise families, so essential to the economic future of the country, our Taoiseach and Tánaiste are increasingly adopting the policies and language of anti-immigration actors.
By so doing they are actively contributing to the ongoing demographic disaster facing this country. They should know better and they should do better. Pandering to extremists is never a viable solution to any problem. – Yours, etc,
HUGH PIERCE,
Celbridge,
Co Kildare.
Council’s Wood Quay move
Sir, – May I say I am not really surprised that Dublin City Council may consider moving their offices from Wood Quay (“Dublin’s civic offices at Wood Quay to be redeveloped for homes if council buys DIT site,” December 19th).
Many years ago I took part in very strong protests against the building of the Civic Offices on the current site. Hundreds of people took part in the protests. We argued that the corporation had chosen the site where very many architectural and historical items, which could never be replaced, would be destroyed. Several buildings of no great architectural value were demolished to clear the site, buildings which reflected the character of a past age. It was further argued this was the oldest part of Dublin city and the very heart of Dublin’s civilisation.
We said there were very many more suitable sites. Does Dublin City Council, having overridden the protests of so many people, now agree this was not the place to build these unsuitable and architecturally unattractive offices? Of course, it may never happen. – Yours, etc,
EILEEN LYNCH,
Dublin 7.
Moore detained at Holyhead
Sir, – Mark Hennessy reports on an incident involving Christy Moore in 2004 at the port of Holyhead (“Christy Moore was questioned under UK terror laws ‘for curiosity value’,” Home News, December 27th)..
It should be noted that these types of interrogations at ports in the UK have been going on for quite some time and to ordinary people. Some years before this incident, I was about to board a ferry at Dover when I was taken away by a police officer. I was brought to a Portakabin situated within sight of the ship.
I found myself in a small square room, painted all white. There was a man in a suit sitting in a chair behind a table. He told me to place everything I had on the table. I was to empty all my pockets. I wasn’t searched. I stood at the table while he asked me questions in a calm and in a moderate tone.
There was just the two of us in the room. I do not remember anything he said, except the phrase: “I have a son like you.” I couldn’t remember anything else because my mind was flooded with a multitude of possible scenarios that might arise. I probably told him I was an arts student.
Naturally, I missed the boat, and it was at least three hours before I got the next ferry. I was hitchhiking at the time and the delay cost me money I could ill-afford, for an overnight stay near Calais. – Yours, etc,
DAVID LYONS,
Bridgefoot Street,
Dublin.
Shortage of educational psychologists
Sir, – The revelation that the National Educational Psychological Service (Neps) needs 300 more staff just to reach a European average is an indictment of our school support structures (“More than 300 extra educational psychologists needed,” Education, December 22nd).
The guidance counsellor model for second-level schools is a relic of a simpler time. It is an impossible dual-purpose role, forcing professionals to juggle careers advice with complex mental health crises. While guidance counsellors excel at career placement, they cannot be expected to act as clinical substitutes for psychological difficulties that are skyrocketing in prevalence and severity.
The reality is that the current system is not coping. The proof is the endless stream of referrals by school counsellors to overstretched services like Camhs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and the youth mental health charity Jigsaw.
To stop the outsourcing of the crisis a complete overhaul is required. Instead of Neps psychologists serving school clusters, every second-level school with over 200 students needs a permanent, on-site educational psychologist. School-based guidance counsellors should deal exclusively with vocational matters. Such structural reform is no longer optional; it is a matter of student safety. – Yours, etc,
SEAN KEAVNEY,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
In pursuit of running rugby
Sir, – In his analysis of Munster versus Leinster (“One decision put players and crowd on the referee’s back”, Sport, December 30th), your columnist Owen Doyle asks “Where the hell has running rugby gone to?”
As everyone who played the game when it was amateur knows, professional players are 50 per cent bigger, 50 per cent wider, and 99 per cent faster. Defenders line up like in rugby league. There’s no space for running rugby. It is a game of collision, no longer a game of elusion.
Is there a solution? Make the pitches 50 per cent wider. Admittedly, that would mean knocking stands. But when Leinster played at Croke Park, the pitch could have been 14 metres (c. 20 per cent) wider which would have been an interesting trial. Using more GAA pitches at their full width could offer a way forward within Ireland.
Mr Doyle also complains about the scrums. First thing is do away with the “crouch, bind, set” commands and let the front rows set them. Then the referee can concentrate on a straight feed.
As regards lineouts, if a throw-in isn’t taken from his mark, the touch judge ought to call a crooked throw. Do that twice in a match and players will cop themselves on. Additionally, Mr Doyle, quite rightly, is fed up with all the kick pong. In the good old days, the ball was heavier, less aerodynamic and, sometimes in matches, became slightly banana-shaped. Bring back the old leather balls with the laces. It won’t travel as fast or as far. – Yours, etc,
PASCAL Ó DEASMHUMHNAIGH,
Inis Corthaidh,
Co Loch Garman.
Seizing church assets
Sir, – I found the Archbishop of Armagh’s recent comments on seizing church assets profoundly disingenuous and hurtful. (“Opposition politicians dismiss archbishop’s claim that seizing church assets is ‘opportunism’,” December 28th).
His use of the term “penal” was exceptionally cynical, given how deeply the injustice of the Penal Laws resonates in Irish memory. It is both laughable and morally deplorable that church leaders deploy such language in the context of child sexual abuse perpetrated by their own members.
Let us stick to the facts. The religious orders are not the victims here; they are the perpetrators. The scoping inquiry into sexual abuse carried out by religious orders reported in November 2022. More than three years later, there is still no statutory redress scheme, no legislation, no application process, and not a single euro paid to survivors.
This is no longer a matter of complexity or caution. The inquiry’s sole purpose was to establish the scale of abuse and to clear the ground for redress. That work was completed. What has followed is not progress but cynical delay – and delay has consequences. Survivors age. Survivors die. That is what might properly be described as “penal”. – Yours, etc,
TOM MAHER,
Colehill Lane,
London.
