Madam, - In this age of pluralism and liberal democracy, it is inappropriate that public houses and nightclubs be legally required to close on Good Friday.
Those who subscribe to Catholicism should be free to constrain their behaviour in whatever way they choose during the Easter period.
Equally, non-Catholics should be free to carry on their lives unimpeded by the religious rituals of others.
A forced day of abstinence may not rank highly amongst the many injustices of the world. However, it is surely symbolic of Ireland's ongoing struggle to escape its Catholic-dominated past, and implement equality for all citizens regardless of religious background.
Only through a mutual respect for each other's beliefs, and through a tolerance for attitudes and values of minorities, can we all grow together as a community. This coercive Catholicism achieves nothing but further social division and the embedding of State-sponsored religious discrimination. - Yours, etc.,
EOIN Ó FIACHÁIN, Hawthorn Place, Clybaun Road, Knocknacarra, Galway.