Sir, – After reading Tim Pat Coogan's description ("Commemorating 1916: We need to rekindle a spirit of idealism", Opinion, December 29th) of the incompetence and corruption in independent Ireland, rampant not only in the State, but also in the dominant church (remember Ireland was a virtual theocracy for decades after independence), I'm surprised he did not come to the obvious conclusion. This is that maybe the Irish are not the best people to govern Ireland, and maybe, just maybe, Pearse and his pals, who had virtually no support from the Irish people at the time, might have been better advised to leave well enough alone. – Yours, etc,
DAVID HERMAN,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – The aims of the Irish Volunteers during the Easter Rising in 1916 should not be confused with tribal differences within Northern Ireland from 1969 onwards. We should be careful about the orientation of celebrations. We cannot afford to damage our new relations with the UK through a highjacking of historical commemorations by vested interests within Northern Ireland. Old rivalries on both sides will use such events to blow trumpets of intolerance in order to turn back the clock for the rest of Ireland and the UK. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN PATRICK
McARDLE,
Newbridge,
Co Kildare.