Sir, - On Christmas Eve in Dublin city I was accosted by no fewer than eight young beggars in the space of 20 minutes. One, a young woman, was accompanied by two babies who were perched on what could only be described as the remnants of a pram.
Now I'm loath to ask the obvious, but, what the hell. Is this a record? - Yours, etc., Paul Delaney,
Beacon Hill, Dalkey.