Sir, – While I have great admiration for Fintan O’Toole, I found his “discovery” column (Opinion, August 6th), describing Ireland as a failed State and rotten to its very core, at least 40 years too late.
I find it hard to accept that it is only now that the Irish media have woken up and are beginning to see any light. Republicans, socialists and free-thinkers have known this for decades.
However, if we have a failed State, then it stands to reason that we also have a failed people. We condoned institutional abuse, State failure to its electorate, embraced corruption and have no concept of an open, fair society. Now, in our time of national guilt, when we need revolution, we whimper to Joe Duffy instead. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL KUNZ,
Ballyphilip,
Kilcoole, Co Wicklow.