Sir, – I’m delighted at the arrival of the thaw, not least because I’m fed up stuffing myself with sliced pans. More importantly though, I can’t wait to resume my usual pattern of unnecessary and pointless journeys. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.
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Sir, – And now, the trudge in the sludge! – Yours, etc.
D GILL,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – It covered the land for many days, repeatedly intense and oppressive, spreading fear throughout the country. Many were driven to the edge but could never escape the inundation.
Now, at last, it has passed. The media coverage is finally abating. – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.
Sir, – A baby-boom in November? – Yours, etc,
TRISH FINDLATER,
Cong,
Co Mayo.
Sir, – In the aftermath of Storm Emma, it is hoped that all agencies of the State learn lessons from the many weaknesses exposed. One that leaps out is the dangers created by prepay meters that automatically disconnect power when credit runs down. It is clear from social media that many households with these meters installed ran into difficulties.
There are very simple ways to address this, the most obvious being that once a weather alert of any colour is issued, all meters must be disarmed and prevented from disconnecting supply, and any that have already done so must be instructed to reconnect power.
A cursory look at the excessive cost associated with buying electricity via a prepay meter suggests that this amounts to a tax on the poor and for that reason alone merits investigation. That aside, Emma has shown us that, in the current situation, there are many tragedies just waiting to happen and surely that cannot be ignored. – Yours, etc,
JIM O’SULLIVAN,
Rathedmond,
Sligo.
Sir, – I never thought I would have anything in common with Bertie Ahern until I had to get a dig-out during the snow. – Yours, etc,
JOHN WILLIAMS,
Clonmel,
Co Tipperary.
Sir, – There has been well-deserved praise of frontline healthcare workers who met the challenges of recent events. Though unfashionable to say so, we should recognise that we were enabled by similar extraordinary efforts by those in hospital administration.
They provided us with a central command-and-control structure that prepared us and patients in advance, guided us through and are now tasked with picking up the pieces of the aftermath.
I was needed occasionally; they were needed constantly. – Yours, etc,
Prof LEO LAWLER
Clinical Director,
Radiology,
Mater Misericordiae
University Hospital,
Dublin 1.
A chara, – Emma and the Beast took me back to the early days of Irish television, where little could be seen except snow. – Is mise,
TOM HORGAN,
Waterville,
Co Kerry.
Sir, – Meteorological models have yet again successfully and reliably predicted our latest weather emergency. Isn’t it high time that we all began to trust the same climate models that are warning of the devastation that climate change is going to cause to us and our planet in the coming century? – Yours, etc,
KEVIN DOWLING,
Kildare.
Sir, – Isn’t it time we abandoned all this meteorological nonsense and instead tried to work out what we have done to anger the snow god? – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – I wish to thank you most sincerely for making the internet edition of The Irish Times available to us during Storm Emma.
I live in rural north Cork and could not leave my house for three days due to the snow. It was so enjoyable to read your paper on Friday and Saturday. It helped prevent cabin fever.
The Irish Times is an essential part of my Saturdays.
The gesture was very considerate and was appreciated. – Yours, etc,
MARGARET TWOMEY,
Cork.
Sir, – Thank you so much for including the Magazine and the Ticket with this Monday’s paper. I had really really missed them over the weekend. And I discovered how intensely I loathe having to read stuff online at any great length. Thanks again. – Yours, etc,
BOBBY MacLAUGHLIN,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – With all the latest weather hype, we saw queues of people outside supermarkets rushing to purchase the Irish staple diet of milk, bread and wine. Leaving the milk aside, do the essentials of bread and wine suggest a deeper-rooted religiosity here than we might think? – Yours, etc,
RAY THOMPSON,
Kilcoole,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Can we now stop this orgy of self-congratulation? We had a heavy fall of snow. Decent people did what decent people do. Blackguards did what blackguards do, and silly people did what silly people do. Thank God it’s over. Now let’s get on with it. – Yours, etc,
LOUIS O’FLAHERTY,
Santry,
Dublin 9.