Sir, - During the campaign, Mary Banotti advocated the establishment of a national honours system and President-elect McAleese could do worse than run with this idea.
There are, of course, very many citizens who readily spring to mind as worthy recipients of such an accolade, and one such luminary is surely Mr Eoghan Harris, media wizard, prophet and master political strategist.
It is widely known that Eoghan Harris was single-handedly responsible for the election of Mary Robinson in 1990, a fact which even the wondrously modest Mr Harris has alluded to on occasion in the intervening period.
Now, seven years later, he has done it again. His intervention in the 1997 presidential election campaign on behalf of Derek Nally was masterly; his timing, as ever, was impeccable; and this proved to be a decisive factor in the election of Mary McAleese to the Aras.
So arise then, Sir Eoghan, President maker! - Yours, etc.,
Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo.