Madam, - I found Michael Casey's analysis of entrepreneurship in Ireland to be both compelling and correct ("Fear and cultural quirks to blame for Ireland's lack of enterprise", Opinion & Analysis, May 23rd).
He is right to put our lack of business spirit and entrepreneurship down to the crippling tax burdens of the past and the fact that the education system has tended to produce left-wing arts graduates who join the civil service and look down on the grubby world of business, or business graduates with management and bureaucratic skills but little talent for spotting opportunities and taking risks.
This remains a serious problem in the present day, when the Michael O'Learys stand out so much because they are so rare. The oozing contempt for the world of wealth creation displayed constantly in your own newspaper by the likes of Fintan O'Toole, Vincent Browne and Eddie Holt undoubtedly plays a part.
Given that it is business, and almost nothing else, which has given the entire population of the Western world a standard of living greater than the aristocracies of old (could Caesar Augustus have eaten grapes in winter?), it is imperative that we become a less risk-averse and more pro-entrepreneurial society. - Yours, etc,
ADRIAN BOLAND,
Newbridge,
Co Kildare.
Madam, - I must wholeheartedly disagree with Michael Casey's article. As an American living in Dublin for the past seven years I have come across many talented people with an amazing entrepreneurial spirit. Therefore I don't believe that the scarcity of Irish companies is because of the psyche of the Irish people, but rather the bureaucracy that they are up against when they attempt to put their ideas forward or build a company.
I do agree that the "getting above oneself" attitude discourages risk-taking spirit and potential - maybe that is why Irish entrepreneurial flair thrives outside Ireland. I also think Mr Casey's article feeds into this discouraging attitude. - Yours, etc,
TARA FINN,
Capel Street,
Dublin 1.