Madam – In his Lockerroom column (February 7th), Tom Humphries noted that he regretted not rounding up and extraditing “all those those godbotherers and pioneers who moaned endlessly about a drinks company sponsoring the GAA”. I would suggest that this rather snide comment ill behoves a sports journalist of Mr Humphries’s stature. Alcohol misuse is one of the most serious social issues facing Ireland at this time, blighting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people of all ages.
Throughout the country there are people who are concerned about the manner in which alcohol is promoted and marketed by powerful international drinks companies with enormous resources at their disposal.
There are those who are appalled by the manner in which Irish people’s love of sport is being exploited to a degree that would not be permitted in other EU member states. In my view, they have a right to express their views on what is an issue of crucial importance to Irish society without being referred to as “moaners” – Yours, etc,