Sir, - On reading David Rose's account of his visit to Ireland this year (The Irish Times, September 13th), I realised that - sadly enough - my own impression of the changes Ireland has experienced in the past years was not a false imagination. Incidentally, my worst experience this year also happened in Co Clare, which nonetheless might just be the place I would opt for if I was ever to settle in Ireland. My image of "Ireland of the Welcomes" was shattered when I was told to leave a well-known pub in a small village.
It happened to be the one night of the whole holiday when, due to heavy mist outside, I decided to have only a glass of Guinness before driving back to the guesthouse. My companion had two Irish coffees, however, and the two couples we met at the pub had a drink each as well. We had been there for an hour at most when we were rather rudely told to leave as we were occupying the best seats and "we were not drinking".
We had not once been asked if we wanted another drink. Granted, we drank little and we could easily appreciate that people nursing a drink for hours and stopping others from coming in can be a nuisance. However, the pub was not overcrowded and we felt we had not stretched the proprietor's patience, especially as the drinks had been finished only a few minutes when we were thrown out.
As it happened, one of the other couples had just flown into Ireland from Denmark for the first time, this was their first visit to an Irish pub. They were highly embarrassed and could hardly believe what had happened.
Unfortunately, this was not really my first experience of that kind. Like David Rose, I could add more stories and like him I refuse to colour my feelings about Ireland yet. We realise that times are changing and old values, too. But if we stop being welcome, neither the countryside nor advertising campaigns will attract many of us any more. - Yours, etc.,
Muelheim, Germany.