Reading John Bowman's article last Saturday it occurs that the reason for Sean MacBride's correspondence with John Charles McQuaid could have been to obviate aspects of the campaign leading to the February 1948 general election.

MacBride consistently said two contributory factors were responsible for the tangible drop in support for Clann na Poblachta - namely, the campaign run by both The Irish Times and Irish Press, and the attacks from certain sections of the clergy and hierarchy. He felt that while the then Archbishop was blamed, it was a group of parish priests who were responsible for the personal assault, charges of atheism and the references to Red Rule in the State.

The phraseology highlighted by Dr Bowman seems unusual by today's standards, but hardly surprising given MacBride's French upbringing surrounded by poets and scholars. So be it. It seems unfair of Dr Bowman to draw any assumption from the absence of an imaginary letter from the file on foot of the 1951 election - he should have confined himself to what he read.

Referring to the 1948-1951 period, MacBride said his contacts with the hierarchy were few, that he deliberately avoided getting too closely involved with the hierarchy concerning matters regarding political developments. He believed the viewpoint of the hierarchy had to be taken into account, in the same way as the Protestant hierarchy, or the Jewish Rabbinical council. Incidentally he had links with the Church of Ireland and the Jewish community in Ireland.

MacBride felt that as Ireland was a Catholic State, the hierarchy had a special position of privilege and accordingly carried influence. When the hierarchy touched on religious or moral issues, they would be listened to.

The approach adopted in the article appears sensationalist. These letters were written half a century ago and ought to be placed in the context of the period, taking into account the strength of feeling which existed towards the Catholic Church. The article rather disingenuously questions Sean MacBride's credentials as a republican - a more serious charge than any inference drawn from a few handwritten letters. MacBride was shaped from an early age by his mother, by his governess Mary Barry O'Delaney, by James Step hens, Father Sweetman at Mount St Benedict, by George Erwin and a host of other influences.

HE spent time in jail, on the run, abroad, as IRA chief of staff for the year before the Constitution was adopted, defending republicans as a barrister, and reaching the stage where he felt a republican party should be formed which would contest elections and enter the Dail.

Clann na Poblachta was formed in July 1946 and within a few weeks the Old Comrades IRA Association had decided to join the new party, and called upon all republicans to join and support the Clann.

MacBride was happy enough about the achievements of Clann na Poblachta in government - the repeal of the External Relations Act, the fact there were no political prisoners, and the significant increase in the afforestation figures.

In his article, Dr Bowman said: "in his retirement Sean MacBride proved very touchy on the subject of church-state relations" and refers to a radio interview in 1980. In this interview MacBride said: "this is grossly the most unfair interview that I've ever had. You are now trying to trap me".

In subsequent correspondence, Mac Bride wrote to Dr Bowman stating that his "clear objective" during the course of this interview "was to denigrate the inter-party government" and that he . . . "adopted a partisan and aggressive stance"; that he referred to the inter-party government as being "a motley", and that he seemed to be obsessed with the message to the Pope sent by Mr Costello.

In response to the charge that he had attacked the late Mr Costello, Dr Bowman replied that "the history industry would close up shop if the dead were to be excluded from scrutiny!" Dr Bowman is to be lauded for his attention to these letters as they exist as an example of the period in question, but to use them as the basis of an article, the apparent purpose of which is to ridicule Sean MacBride, is to quote from them out of context.

Caitriona Lawlor was Sean MacBride's personal assistant from 1976 until his death in 1988