Sir, - I realise that part of John Waters's charm is his tendency to engage in sweeping generalisations, but may I put a stop to his gallop, just for a moment, and ask him to explain something? He claims that those of us who think Teilefis na Gravy Train is a waste of money are suffering from "self hatred". I don't get this. I don't hate myself. I don't even hate the most extreme of Gaelgoiri - although I'll admit that I don't fancy having a pint with one of them.
Can it be that John regards criticism of the traditional scared cows (the Irish language, the Roman Catholic Church, farmers, etc.) as "self hatred"?
And may I point out to John that referring to Irish as "our language" is, yet again, a sweeping generalisation. I'm sorry, but it's not my language; nor has it ever been, in any significant sense, the language of Dublin for the better part of a thousand years. Perhaps John means that Irish should be my language. In which case, I'd prefer to decide that for myself, thank you. - Yours, etc.,
Belgrave Square,
Monkstown,
Co. Dublin.