Sir, I was shocked and horrified to read recently in your paper that the mayor of one of the premier cities in America was advocating a "boycott" of Bushmills whiskey, because, he said, it was not their policy to employ Catholics.
The company, in a low key response pointed out that Bushmills, a recently acquired adjunct to the main company, Irish Distillers, is situated in a predominantly Protestant area and the workforce therefore is largely but not exclusively Protestant. If Bushmills had a prejudice or bias in selecting its workforce prior to its acquisition this is not the policy of Irish Distillers.
The Mayor also said he said he intended extending the "boycott" to other major American cities. What kind of an opportunist is this man? What kind of cheap theatrical trick is this? Does this man not realise the damage he could do to an Irish business? Does he not realise that many thousands of Irish people's livelihoods could be affected by his actions, if his so called "boycott" were to succeed?
I find it incredulous that this could happen in this day and age and in this climate of peace and reconciliation. Shame on you Mr Mayor.
Irish Distillers' workforce, North and South, is employed on merit and ability. That is why it is such a phenomenally successful company. If this man's destructive programme is not nipped in the bud large numbers of people both North and South, Protestant and Catholic could find their livelihoods endangered. Irish Distillers have a proud record and a proud history. The loyalty of the workers in the old Power and Jameson distilleries is legendary. The care taken of distillery workers is remembered in Wexford, where the Powers built a village of very (then) modern houses for their seasonal workers, the cot fishermen of Oylegate. Incidentally and purely incidentally, for the Mayor's education, the Powers were Catholics.
Likewise the Jamesons, who had a distillery in Wexford, are remembered for their generosity and for the care of their workers. The people of Dublin who worked in the Dublin plants, were, like the Guinness workers among the best paid and the best cared for workers in the country. - Yours, etc.,
Market Square,
Bunclody,
Co Wexford.