Sir, – I’m confused. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore refuses to attend the anniversary dinner of the all-male Hibernian Society of Savannah (Home News, March 16th) and is commended (Mary Maher, March 19th). President Michael D Higgins and Minister for Finance Michael Noonan attend the inauguration Mass in St Peter’s Square concelebrated by Pope Francis and 180 senior all-male clergy and nobody objects. Is it a male thing? – Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’BYRNE,
Shandon Crescent,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – While the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore was within his rights to turn down the invitation to the dinner at the Hibernian Society of Savannah, it is difficult to understand why he felt the need to make the snub public.
The whole point of these visits at this time of year is to foster goodwill and I doubt he built up much of that by his churlish actions. It was wrong to equate a “night out with the boys”, with segregation in a place like Georgia and the gesture is worthy of someone engaging in student politics. He has let himself and the country down. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN McMAHON,
Elmwood,
Naas,
Co Kildare.