Sir, – Michael Harding's superb piece on his visit to Galway described the burden of existence that can sometimes bear down on us (Life, November 30th). It reminded me of Ernest Hemingway's A Clean, Well-lighted Place. It was wonderful. At the end, Michael wept.
The following is no joy either. In Galway the area encompassing High Street, Quay Street and Cross Street has been branded “The Latin Quarter”. Oh dear! There is a perfectly good set of street names, each speaking its own piece of our beautiful city’s history. Why some interests needed to concoct a piece of phony, disconnected, out-of-thin-air marketing pap and inflict it on the rest of us is a mystery. And as for that other piece of hokum, “The West End”, enough said.
Unlike Michael Harding I won’t weep. But this piece of civic self-abasement does make me feel slightly nauseous. And just a little bit ashamed. – Yours, etc,
DENIS HEALY,
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Salthill, Galway.