Sir, Fie on my old colleague and friend, Michael Finlan, for posing as a North American hack to escape loyalist wrath on the Shankill (The Irish Times, May 20th).
When I was an RTE reporter, I was ambushed by Paisleyite bully boys in the centre of Armagh, where they had been corralled by the RUC to keep them away from a civil rights march. I had to walk through their ranks to get to the radio "studio" in a local hotel, despite warnings from the police that I would be on my own if I passed the barriers.
"Who are you, and where d'ye come from?" demanded one Paisleyite, wearing his distinctive blue buttonhole and brandishing a cudgel, with a well armed pal on each side. "Press from Dublin" said I. "Irish Press or Independent," he rejoined. It's amazing how quickly the brain works in an emergency. Immediately I replied, with a conspiratorial wink: "Actually, I'm Irish Times."
"Go ahead, friend" said he, and I made my way slowly to the hotel and safety. Within the hour, a BBC team from London was badly beaten up in the Shambles area. Actually, I was ex Irish Times. - Yours, etc.,