Sir, – Sir Tony Blair may have been free of ideological baggage regarding Ireland, as Diarmaid Ferriter writes, but he was not a disinterested observer (Opinion & Analysis, July 12th).
In his 1998 address to the Oireachtas, he said “Ireland, as you may know, is in my blood. My mother was born in the flat above her grandmother’s hardware shop on the main street of Ballyshannon in Donegal. She lived there as a child, started school there and only moved when her father died. We spent virtually every childhood summer holiday up to when the troubles really took hold in Ireland, usually at Rossnowlagh. And we would travel in the beautiful countryside of Donegal”.
In welcoming the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, with its commitment to the A5 Dublin-Donegal dual carriageway, Tony Blair must have had his childhood memories in mind.
Tony Blair lost power in 2007 and his influence evaporated in the political mists, as did the A5 road. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.