Irish people and British honours

Whitewashing imperial horrors

A chara, – The English – as well as other European powers, such as the French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese – spent hundreds of years travelling around the world killing people and taking their stuff and on the back of such crimes built empires to promote further criminality, including chattel slavery.

I would urge all reasonable people, especially those whose countries which suffered from colonisation, to refrain from accepting any honour which appropriates the recipient’s good works in order to whitewash imperial horrors.

Good deeds are their own reward. – Is mise,

DÁITHÍ Mac CÁRTHAIGH,

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Baile Átha Cliath 7.

Sir, – Ciana Campbell (Letters, June 21st) writes that in the event of an Irish honours system, she’d like to be considered for a DBE, Dame of the Burren Empire.

Personally I’d be happy with an OBE, Of Ballaghaderreen Extraction. – Yours, etc,

PAUL MURPHY,

Dublin 9.