Sir, – I believe that Charles Haughey instituted the style of always sitting beside the driver when in State cars, thus letting the populace know that he was essentially just one of us. Since then, not one government minister has had the courage to sit in the back! – Yours, etc,
PADRAIG J O’CONNOR,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 .
Sir, – One thing is certain. Charles J Haughey will not have his many good deeds listed in the pages of The Irish Times, nor will its snooty readers acknowledge that, as leaders go, Mr Haughey was good for Ireland, despite all the old and new muck raked up. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT SULLIVAN,
Bantry, Co Cork.
Sir, – May I dissent, in one respect only, from the unqualified praise for Aiden Gillen's portrayal of the titular character in the RTÉ drama Charlie? The actor reincarnated "The Boss" for his TV audience in looks, hooded eyes, walk, etc. CJH's vocal quality was wonderfully conveyed by Gillen, except that the register wasn't deep enough.
In Olivier's preparation for Othello on stage (1964), he managed to lower his natural tenor register by a whole octave to perform the Moor. Similar vocal weight was needed for the "black prince of Irish politics". – Yours, etc,
OLIVER McGRANE,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.
