WILLIAM GEARY,
Sir, - "Till then, sit still my soul; foul deeds will rise,/ Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes". (Hamlet.)
I am referring to the sordid, obscene dismissal of Lieutenant Donal de Róiste, Irish Army, without trial, by President Eamon de Valera, on the recommendation of the Irish Army hierarchy in 1969.
As a citizen of a legitimate sovereign state, Lieutenant de Róiste was deprived of his basic civil rights. Even a soldier in the battlefield before being shot for cowardice or rape is accorded a court martial.
Assuming that there is an air of mystery surrounding this case, it seems to boil down to the fact that Lieutenant de Róiste, an honourable man, refused to be suborned in a cover-up of a drunken driving accident, involving a high-ranking Irish Army officer.
And now for a moment, consider the option he rejected - promotion in the Army, probably assured.
From experience, I am well aware of the anguish endured by Lieutenant de Róiste on his callous dismissal from the Irish Army, the injustice, the disgrace inflicted on him, and his family. He has my sympathy.
It is incumbent on the Irish Government to demonstrate that injustice shall not be tolerated, but basic civil rights held sacred, in Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
WILLIAM GEARY,
Bayside,
New York,
USA.