Sir, - It was cold and raining heavily last Wednesday afternoon in Cork, as I walked along Washington Street. Suddenly I saw the a man lying face down, in the centre of the payment, in the pelting rain. He was in full view of the passing traffic and pedestrians.
I ran to help him. He was in a very poor condition, and found it difficult even to raise himself. I cried out to others to help me lift him, but no one would come near. I shouted to a nearby young woman who was about to enter her car: "Please wait. We might need to transport him." She ignored the plea and drove off. Eventually, a young man approached and between us we managed to lift the victim to his feet, and got him to shuffle slowly along between us to the Mercy Hospital, some blocks away. (As it transpired, he was a resident patient there.) In the narrow streets, many cars crawled past our odd little phalanx of a middle-aged man being held up by two diminutive helpers. No windows were lowered to offer help.
Our unfortunate companion was poorly clad in dirty jeans. He could hardly talk, but the state of his dress did seem to bother him, for he kept saying, in a weak, broken voice: "I have no clothes."
Later, as I walked back to Washington Street, I thought: how could any of those people who callously turned their back on this poor, vulnerable man, consider themselves a decent, likeable sort? - Yours, etc.,
Dr I.R. O'Connor, Castle Hill, Carrigaline, Co Cork