Sir, - St Patrick's Day has become quite an event with Irish citizens all over the world celebrating an occasion that is truly theirs. In Dublin the outbursting of national pride is strongly evident in the imaginative way the citizens decorate their nation's capital. Everywhere you go the range of colour used is striking. Multi-coloured sweet and crisp packets line the pavements and streets, along with yellow hamburger cartons, empty beer and spirit bottles, cola cans of various shades, pink, orange and blue ice-cream wrappers, red and purple cigarette packets and gold-coloured lager cans - the whole display augmented by pools of vomit, rivers of urine and our speciality: the plastic bags floating in the gentle Irish breeze.
On parts of the North Circular Road the locals keep up the tradition all year round by gaily decorating the base of each tree with plastic bags full - sometimes to overflowing - of assorted discarded items. Canals and rivers are usually treated in similar fashion. Businesses in Dublin play their part too, leaving mountainous exhibitions of untied bin bags and cardboard boxes outside their premises. The green bunting strung from buildings in the city centre looks so dull by comparison with all these unofficial decorative efforts.
Dublin Corporation's contribution to the spectacle involves not placing additional litter bins around the streets, thereby encouraging the populace to place rubbish around or on top of the already stuffed existing bins. An extraordinary custom, without doubt. - Yours, etc., Terry Butler,
Church Road, East Wall, Dublin 3.