CONN HOLOHAN,
Sir, - Kevin Myers declares (An Irishman's Diary, July 18th) that, as a multi-million pound industry, soccer is not a cultural event.
I would question what exactly his definition of culture might be. The Irish soccer team gave us four days in June when the entire country joined together, with a momentous sense of national pride, in the simple act of watching a football game. Their exploits have given people a sense of national identity that is increasingly difficult to articulate in this age of global media and consumerised culture. They have allowed us to reclaim our national symbols, as Tricolours hung from houses, untinged by any association with violent republicanism.
An Irish football match is an occasion which captures the national consciousness. Is this definition of culture a little too populist for Mr Myers's liking? - Yours, etc.,
CONN HOLOHAN, Malahide, Co Dublin.