Sir, - In his otherwise pertinent contribution to your opinion page (July 6th), the Rev Brian Kennaway, of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, made one particularly curious comment.
Looking at the marching issue in Northern Ireland, he said: "An example of the pressure of public opinion was editorials in the two main local newspapers, the Belfast Telegraph and the News Letter, urging restraint and dialogue.'
The Irish News is the top selling Northern Ireland morning paper, with a daily sale which is almost 20,000 ahead of the News Letter. We have recorded eight consecutive years of annual circulation increases, during a period when both the News Letter and the Belfast Telegraph have been in a steady decline. Our most recent rise was among the highest in the UK.
For many years, we have consistently argued that all sides involved in the parades debate should exercise restraint and engage in proper dialogue. Indeed, we and the News Letter have carried a number of joint editorials on this theme.
It is disappointing that the Rev Kennaway appears to have overlooked our contribution. - Yours, etc., Noel Doran,
Editor, The Irish News Belfast.