Sir, – Might I attempt to complement Frank McNally’s charming catalogue of things he loves about Dublin (An Irishman’s Diary, November 15, 2012)? 60. The way the street vendor folds The Irish Times, as he relieves you of €1.90/€2.25. 61. The rhythmic lapping of the tide, as your flight approaches the airport – home safely again. 62. The colourful comments of travellers at railway stations, when the electronic barrier spits back their ticket. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Frank McNally (An Irishman’s Diary, November 17th) deserves some apology for the perceived slandering of him by me in his lopsided critique of the Dublin North-South divide. He asks my co-ordinates in Celbridge and they are North by Northwest of the Liffey.
His attempts to divide this great city in to East and West are frankly for the birds. At least the latter know to fly north and south rather than east or west in a frenzy.
More seriously, he ignores the northside of Dublin’s decade-by-decade lack of proper infrastructure, architectural, health or educational assets, by a conga line of city and cúl an tí bludgers in An Dáil. – Is mise,