Sir, - We do not give elected officials enough credit for the indignities they suffer representing Irish interests abroad. Take, for instance, the quiet stoicism with which the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, dealt with witless questioning from the American gastronomic magazine Bon Appetit in its May issue, devoted entirely to Irish food: Bon Appetit: Your profession requires that you dine with hundreds of people each year. Have you ever broken brown bread with a leprechaun?
Ivan Yates: Unfortunately, I haven't, but I would welcome the opportunity to do so.
Good work, Ivan. We may not care about leprechauns, but we do understand the value of a crock of (export) gold. - Yours, etc.,
Scenic Avenue,
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Berkeley,
California.