JACK O'CONNELL,
Sir, - Congratulations to Kevin Myers on his account of the Windsor Castle commemoration ceremony honouring the laying up of the colours of the disbanded Irish regiments. Congratulations also to Lt-Gen Colm Mangan for attending in his capacity as Chief-of-Staff of the Army.
As an honorary member of the OCA of the Royal Irish Regiment (18th Foot) - perhaps one of only a few nowadays - I would have been there too but for other commitments. Over the years I was happy to help many of the survivors of "The Disbandeds", by assistance at their London parades and by guiding them towards financial support, either through regimental funds or payments from the departments of social welfare, both UK and Irish.
I found it interesting and encouraging over the past seven or eight years, as we republished the histories of the regiments, to see how many descendants and relatives shed their reticence about family connections with the British Army and ordered copies. We were given permission by the Chief of Staff to launch the histories of "The Dubs" in Cathal Brugha Barracks and The Royal Irish in Kickham Barracks, Clonmel, and were astonished by the level of interest.
Maybe, as Mr Myers says, we have finally come to admit that we cannot select our history as in a supermarket. If we honour those who fell in the GPO, we must not forget those who fell in Flanders, Gallipoli and other "foreign fields" either. - Yours, etc.,
JACK O'CONNELL, Schull Books, Ballydehob, Co Cork.