Sir, - In our Irish culture of material gain and acquisition, where the chief emotion expressed is pride in one's success, the Leaving Cert poem Brid Og Ni Mhaille is a welcome release. Here, the poet is a loser, an emotional loser. He has lost in love. His ability to communicate his pain is an education in itself.
However, your EL supplement of March 6th placed a picture of Jennifer Lopez and "Puff Daddy" alongside its analysis of the poem. Ms Lopez is semi-nude and wearing flimsy clothes. Why does The Irish Times lower its standards by choosing to impose a soft porn picture on our students, many of whom are attending schools that have a religious ethos and most of whom are less than 18 years old? It is not suitable for classroom display, nor is it suitable material for a so-called educational page. - Yours, etc.,
Maire Nic Raghnaill, Dublin 6.