Sir, – I was pleased to read that Eamonn McCann and his fellow pilgrims got their "heads shired" ("The virtual pilgrimage can offer same blessings as physical treks", Opinion & Analysis, July 30th). This fine word is being gentrified into "showered", even in local papers in the north. It long predates head-showering of the bathroom sort, and is related to the adjective "sheer" in the sense of "clear". It is also used to describe the process of letting sediment settle in a bucket of water. – Yours, etc,
MÁIRE NIC MHAOLÁIN,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.