Sir, – I refer to the list of 40 extraordinary Irish women as published in Saturday's Magazine ("Ireland's women on the map", March 2nd).
No doubt the inclusion or exclusion of certain women in or from the list will give rise to some debate.
In 2005 The Irish Times reported on the results of a competition conducted by RTÉ which resulted in Nano Nagle being voted the woman most entitled to be called Ireland’s greatest woman, either living or dead. In second place was former president Mary Robinson.
While I realise that religious sisters may not be flavour of the month these days, we should not forget that it was women like Nano Nagle, Mary Aikenhead, Catherine McAuley and Mary Martin, among others, who provided education and health care at a time when Ireland was unable or unwilling to do so.
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I find the lack of inclusion of even one of them to be surprising. – Yours, etc,
JOHN GILLEN,
Skerries,
Co Dublin.