Sir, – John Horgan rightly highlights the ingenuity of Spike Milligan’s Irish-themed novel Puckoon (“An Irishman’s Diary”, December 6th). I met Spike after he gave a pantomime performance as Long John Silver in the late 1970s in London. My companion congratulated him on his novel Pontoon. This proved to be a bridge too far for Spike! – Yours, etc,
PATRICK CALLAN,
Portmarnock,
Co Dublin.