Madam, - Frank McNally's Irishman's Diary of April 19th admirably sums up the joys of the cafe as a place of refuge, a place to chat, read, write or just ponder.
However, it is disappointing that Mr McNally seeks such an environment in places such as Starbucks. The growth of identikit outlets selling coffee by the conveyor belt is a lamentable feature of contemporary Dublin life.
Much better are the remaining independent cafes, where the virtues Mr McNally extols are still to be found. These are places such as Brewbaker Cafe of South Frederick Street, Cafe Bell beside St Teresa's Church in Clarendon Street and Queen of Tarts on Dame Street. In these cafes one can eschew the stress and impersonality of the multinational chain, while at the same time feeling secure among fellow tea-drinking social pariahs.
Long may they continue to thrive in the face of the ever-advancing tide of frappuccinos and franchises.
- Yours, etc,
MARY ROGAN, Grosvenor Lodge, Rathmines, Dublin 6.