Madam, - In the recent RTÉ1 series The Pope's Children, David McWilliams depicted how Ireland was enjoying a booming economy. But the beneficiaries seem to be primarily concerned with making money, buying property and competing with their neighbours and friends for the best cars, biggest houses and the most holidays taken abroad.
This is the new Ireland where the emphasis is on how much money we can make and how fast we can spend it.
However, in my opinion, in the midst of this spending frenzy we are forgetting basic civility, kindness, common decency and - most of all - our manners.
As the blind owner of a guide dog owner I experience this every day. Getting to work, using public transport, going into shops, walking down the footpaths should be a relatively easy task, but not for me.
For example, why do people park their cars, lorries, and trucks on footpaths? Why do our public transport systems still not have proper access arrangements? Why do taxi-drivers refuse to take guide dogs, which are trained and clean?
I believe that we are losing our basic civility in Ireland and many parents are neglecting to teach good manners to their children.
We need to get off the roller coaster of greed before the Celtic Tiger devours us. - Yours, etc,
TINA LOWE, AHEAD (Association of Higher Education Access and Disability), Shankill, Dublin 18.