Sir, - Allow me to clear up a misunderstanding which has arisen in regard to a recent talk of mine, reported in The Irish Times on March 12th. I had referred to the widespread abuse of the image of women in the advertising of alcohol in Ireland at present.
That abuse is so prevalent and so blatant that I felt it unnecessary to enlarge on it. But what I then said was that it was puzzling, inconsistent and wrong of the feminist movements not to protest loudly against such abuse of women in the advertising of the drug alcohol. That was, and is, my point.
Mistakenly or otherwise, I do not think of the ICA as a feminist movement. The ICA long outdates those modern movements; and its own record against general alcohol abuse stands, as Ms. Twist correctly points out (March 18th). The association may even have protested on the precise point of the abuse of women in alcohol advertisements; I do not know. But our organisation, Dothain, believes that protest has to be loud and public to be effective.
Dothain indeed looks forward to active co operation with the ICA in this important context. It would be a tragic pity if any misunderstanding should antagonise two organisations, which are so obviously at one in addressing the social evil that alcohol abuse is so persistently pedalling. - Yours etc.
Main Street, Crossmolina, Co Mayo.