Sir, - It is natural for anyone to take an interest in what is written in biographies and newspapers about his dead relations and I was delighted, therefore, to read Brian Maye's article on my great-aunt Constance Markievicz ( An Irishman's Diary, July 15th).
My only criticism is to cast doubt on her husband's claim to be a Polish count. Otherwise the article was a concise and, above all, balanced summary of her extraordinary life. This is important because of the sadly limited extent of her papers, and the consequent shortage of good evidence for much that has been written about her.
It is unlikely now that further primary material will come to light, so researchers in the future will need to rely on what has been printed about her, some of which has fallen rather short of Brian Maye's article. - Yours, etc.,
Sir JOSSLYN GORE-BOOTH, Lissadell House, Ballinfull, Co Sligo.