Obsessed with Britain?

Keeping an eye on the neighbours

Sir, – I note the use of language in Dr Matthew Butler’s letter (June 20th) as consciously or subconsciously he used the term Britain. I suggest that it isn’t Britain these “Dublin opinion formers” are obsessed with but rather have an interest in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. After all we do share a 499km (310 miles for the imperialist readers) land border, and a couple of hundred years, and counting, of shared history with the UK. Indeed, those in Britain might do well to share in the obsession we have with the UK, or at the very least, that part of the UK not in Britain. – Yours, etc,

Dr PAUL LAVIN,

Kilmainham,

Dublin 8.

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Sir, – Matthew Butler is displeased with the considerable attention devoted to the UK in Irish media. He opines that, “100 years on from independence it is time for the Dublin opinion formers to concentrate on Ireland’s challenges and stop obsessing about Britain.”

Can anyone recall a time since the result of the 2016 referendum when dealing with Britain and its government wasn’t one of Ireland’s challenges? – Yours, etc,

CHRISTOPHER McMAHON ,

Dublin 2.