Sir, - My future as an Irish Times reader is seriously in jeopardy after reading two articles, which, even allowing for the pantomime season that's in it, made me doubt my sanity.
John Caden, in a Christmas Eve piece embracing (the mot juste, I feel) both Gay Byrne and Charles Haughey on the occasion of Gay's radio farewell, describes the Byrne, Watkins and Haughey families as having "played an enormous part in the shaping of our modern, comfortable, liberal and sophisticated society".
Mr Haughey certainly enjoyed comfort, in spades, and applied sophistication to the management of his personal finances.
However the really outrageous comment from Mr Caden deserves quoting in full. Talking about Gay showing "loyalty" to Mr Haughey in his "dark hour" he goes on: "Gay, in his moment of glory, looking back on the battlefield of Irish public affairs from which he emerges honoured and intact, pauses to lift a wounded friend. `Climb up here Charlie, don't be crying, there is room on my horse for two.' "
I kid thee not; the man actually wrote that, and you gave it top place on The Irish Times's prime page.
Vincent Browne greeted the New Year with a column headed: "What has Haughey done to deserve disgrace?" A spoof, I thought, and this view grew stronger as I read on about lunch at the Coq Hardi, etc. But, alas, no. It seems Mr Browne was quite seriously telling us that it was only on grounds of "appearance" that Mr Justice McCracken deemed Mr Haughey's willingness to have his lifestyle financially supported by substantial payments from Ben Dunne and others to be "unacceptable".
He then went on to assure us that Mr Haughey's lies to the tribunal were only little ones and did no serious damage to anyone, but that poor Charlie was "embar- rassed" (my italics). Ye Gods!
Both these articles were an insult to the intelligence of your readers, Sir, and shame on you for publishing such rubbish. - Yours, etc., Frank Malin
Dublin 14.