Sir, - David Smith (November 7th) may well be right that without the slaughter of the early 1920s Ireland would still be a province of Britain. I doubt that.
The State which emerged from the carnage was a closed community, cut off from its neighbours, alienating a minority within its borders and a million of our fellow countrymen who could in no way identify with it. Our modern Ireland is totally different: at ease with its neighbours, and co-operating with a substantial section of the aforementioned million.
This was achieved by evolution rather than revolution. Surely the lesson to be learned from our recent history is that killing is not the way. That is my argument. I think it is the view of Kevin Myers (but he can speak for himself).
This may still be a minority view in Ireland, but I believe we are a growing minority. - Yours, etc.,
W.J. Murphy, Malahide, Co Dublin.