Reviewing Dana's story

Madam, - John Browne (November 6th) begins by saying: "It would appear that Liz McManus has merely skimmed the pages of Dana…

Madam, - John Browne (November 6th) begins by saying: "It would appear that Liz McManus has merely skimmed the pages of Dana's autobiography."

It would also appear that she gave the title page the merest glance, since in the course of her review she refers to the author several times as "Dana Rosemary Scanlon".

She compounds this error in the section of the review that deals with Dana's upbringing in Derry in the midst of the Bogside riots. There she paints a picture of the "prudent Scanlon family. . .living in the Rossville Flats" as warfare between the RUC and local youths raged around them. Now there may well have been a Scanlon family living in the Rossville Flats in the late 1960s. However, Dana was born Rosemary Browne and, to the best of my knowledge, she grew up as part of the Browne family. But I haven't read the book.

Could it be possible that Liz McManus, with her busy schedule as TD for Wicklow as well as Labour spokesperson on communication, energy and natural resources, did not have time to read it either? - Yours, etc,

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EUGENE KERNAN, Clonmore, Carlow, Co Darlow.