Letter: Ireland is not 'mad', but a reality Britain must understand

Sir: Bryan Apppleyard is entitled to his views even if he can find 'spectacular swimming pools in remote western villages' of Ireland, where plainer citizens can find none at all. What cannot go unnoticed, however, is his assertion 'about people reluctant to talk too loudly because the local Provo representatives might hear and note their name'. That should be flagged as the patent nonsense that it is.

Perhaps he has imbibed too freely of the various Irish stouts which are mentioned on no less than three occasions in his article. Clearly, if he was still in a pub at 2am, as he seems to admit, he acquired more than the hangover which also features in the article. When he acquires a taste for Irish bottled waters, he should attempt another article on the Irish problem, and find the solution earlier in the evening.

Yours sincerely,

L. M. CULLEN

Trinity College

Dublin

The writer is Professor of Modern Irish History at the University of Dublin.