Cohen dispels the gloom

Madam, - Last Saturday night I attended the Leonard Cohen concert with a group of friends

Madam, - Last Saturday night I attended the Leonard Cohen concert with a group of friends. All of us found the experience uplifting and somehow spiritually satisfying. It is a rare thing nowadays to see someone on a public stage who can combine charm, intelligence, good manners and wit with a fearless commentary on the ills of the modern world. Leonard Cohen is often mistakenly perceived as a gloom merchant. He is anything but. In fact, he celebrates the frailty that makes us all human: "There's a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in".

How comforting for those of us getting on in years to find that a man in his mid-70s can still mesmerise an audience. - Yours, etc,

MARY NEWMAN, Monread Lawns, Naas, Co Kildare.