Madam, - Congratulations to all those involved in the Special Olympics. Saturday's ceremony went a long way towards achieving their objectives. However, a number of ironies struck me.
Firstly, this Government has been mean-minded and parsimonious regarding funding for those with special needs, in areas such as special education, respite care for families and home refurbishments. I hope it will now be shamed into providing whatever is necessary for those with special needs and their families to live with dignity.
Kathy Sheridan's article in your edition of last Saturday illustrated the warm welcome from towns and communities throughout the country to delegations from all around the world. However, while we seem wonderful at opening our hearts and homes for two weeks, refugees, asylum-seekers and immigrants have had a very different experience. They are perceived and treated as spongers and chancers and, thanks in part to a few scare-mongering politicians, Ireland is now a racist country.
Finally, I heard a past president of the GAA on RTÉ radio delighting in Croke Park's involvement in the Special Olympics. He said the GAA was happy to be involved in the event as the Special Olympics helped to promote tolerance and break down prejudices. The final irony! Yours, etc.,
HILARY O'MALLEY, Gordon Villas, Monkstown, Co Cork.
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Madam, - I was moved to tears by Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary of June 26th, as I have been almost daily for the past three weeks or so. The Irish Times is to be congratulated for providing excellent coverage of the games and all that they entail. For once readers of this and other newspapers have been treated to almost continuous good news.Long may it continue. - Yours, etc.,
MIRIAM BARROR, Temple Lane South, Dublin 2.
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Madam, - Rosita Boland asks (Weekend, June 21st) why Macnas's international profile is so modest, given their talent and creativity. Has it got anything to do with the fact that our national TV network can't be bothered to showcase them?
For the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics, Macnas in conjunction with Blue Teapot Theatre Company had prepared a special five-minute piece. The commentators told viewers to watch carefully and to be ready for a big surprise at the end.
We got a surprise, all right: two minutes into the piece, RTÉ cut to an ad break which lasted three minutes! By the time they cut back to Croke Park it was just seconds from the end and viewers had missed the lot.
Directly before Macnas came on stage, the actor Colin Farrell had said that the Special Olympics were not about advertising, but about things that matter. The Macnas insert took months to prepare and rehearse. Surely RTÉ could have afforded it a full five minutes? - Yours, etc.,
SIOBHAN DOHERTY, Melvin Road, Dublin 6W.
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Madam, - Recently I e-mailed friends in England to tell them to watch a particular event in the Special Olympics on TV. Their reply: "What Olympics are on in Ireland? We can find no coverage on British TV."
Have the media moguls decided that this event is not commercial or do they have an attitude problem in Britain? Surely Britain's loss. - Yours, etc.,
MARGARET MARTIN, Templemills, Celbridge, Co Kildare.