Madam, - I am astounded at the vitriol directed towards Kevin Myers (May 9th). Áinnle O'Neill refers to "your refreshingly liberal newspaper".
Surely "liberal", in its true sense, means being open-minded or unprejudiced?
The attitudes expressed by some of your so-called "liberal" readers display anything but open-mindedness and lack of prejudice.
Regardless of whether you love or hate him, Kevin Myers will be sadly missed from your pages as he added breadth and diversity to the newspaper.
Your liberal readers should try to become more open-minded and accessible to different ideas. Perhaps, by doing so they could truly call themselves liberal. - Yours, etc,
JIM POWER, Fortfield Park, Terenure, Dublin.
Madam, - Let's look on the positive side. The move of Kevin Myers from The Irish Times to the Independent will raise the average standard of writing in both papers. - Yours, etc,
FRANK E BANNISTER, Morehampton Terrace, Dublin.
Madam, - I don't think there could be a better example of how much Kevin Myers will be missed than Áinnle O'Neill's letter to your paper (May 9th).
Kevin Myers's best columns were when he exposed the pathetic hypocrisy of so-called "liberals", but even he couldn't have summed up their narrow-mindedness better than Mr O'Neill's letter.
I didn't always agree with him but he wrote some of the best columns that I have ever read in a newspaper and the quality and appeal of The Irish Times is lessened by his departure. - Yours, etc,
KEVIN WINDLE, Glencairn View, Leopardstown, Dublin 18.
Madam, - Last year, to escape his malign presence, I switched from The Irish Times to the Irish Independent.
Now I have to return to the (almost) insufferable Irish Times to stay in a Myers-free zone. - Yours, etc,
W. ROE, Cullenswood Park, Dublin 6.
Madam, - The "Irishman's Diary" without Kevin Myers is like a day without sunshine.
His words and thoughts, although sometimes acerbic, were indeed thought-provoking and occasionally inspiring. Should that not be the mandate of a first-class journalist? - Yours, etc,
EDWARD D. RAFFERTY, Millpark, Castlebridge, Co Wexford
Madam, - We'll never forget you, Jimmy Myers. - Yours, etc,
PETER MOLLOY, Haddington Park, Dublin.