Sir, I was delighted to hear that Dublin Corporation is to honour Noel Purcell by naming a street after him near his birthplace at Mercer Street. Well done, Corpo!
May I suggest that similar honours be accorded other Dublin greats who afforded us so much pleasure in times that were not so great?
Jack McGowran, the great Beckett interpreter and Victor MacLaglen's sidekick in The Quiet Man, grew up in Ranelagh (Lower Beechwood Avenue) but there is nothing there to indicate that he spent half his life in the village.
Maureen O'Hara was also from Ranelagh but, again, there is nothing to suggest that such an international star hailed from the area.
Jimmy O'Dea and Maureen Potter also brightened up our lives in the dear, dead days of yore and certainly deserve to be honoured like their pal Noel Purcell.
It's great to stroll down Henry Street and see a plaque marking the spot where Ronan Keating sold shoes in Korky's before he achieved pop music stardom. But let's not forget the great Dubs who came before him.
And that's rich coming from a Corkman and a Christy Ring worshipper! Greatness deserves acknowledgement, no matter where it stems from. - Yours, etc.,
Tim Horgan, Dillon's Cross, Cork.