Madam, - Louis Finnerty, (January 3rd) wonders if, other than Ireland suffering from "a potent inferiority complex towards Britain", as was noted by the British embassy in 1978, there may be other explanations why so many Irish institutions retain the word "royal" in their titles. Mr Finnerty mentions the Royal Irish Yacht Club, the Royal Dublin Society, the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Dublin Golf Club.
I respect these organisations, and indeed others with "royal" prefixes, and recognise the valuable contribution they make to Irish national life, particularly the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The fact that they have a "royal" prefix is merely a residue of our colonial past and has no political significance.
There are, however, other aspects of Irish life, such as the supine position adopted by the Irish State in the matter of titles and honours awarded to Irish citizens by the British monarch as if they were her own subjects. I see this as an issue of fundamental political principle and of far more significance than outdated, irrelevant "royal" prefixes.
The Irish Republic is a sovereign State that has repudiated monarchy and therefore the awarding of imperial titles to its citizens is repugnant to the Constitution. To allow this situation to continue amounts to no less than a surrender of sovereign control over State ceremonial to our former colonial masters.
The Irish Government has a duty to uphold the value and dignity of Irish citizenship, and to oppose any British encroachment into our political and civic space. Our self-respect demands nothing less. - Yours, etc,