Ireland of the welcomes

Madam, - Having just spent three weeks touring much of Ireland, I'm delighted to say that the Irish crack and hospitality I remembered…

Madam, - Having just spent three weeks touring much of Ireland, I'm delighted to say that the Irish crack and hospitality I remembered from my previous stop in 1998 still abounds.

With the Celtic Tiger booming, I was a bit worried that the friendly personality and warm welcome for which Ireland is famous might have suffered a bit. But my fears were groundless. I was warmly engaged by all I met, from shop clerks and museum attendants to cabbies and publicans. Thank you all.

I was amazed at the proliferation of foreign accents, especially eastern European, in Dublin, but almost all of these folk were friendly as well. My only regret is that, with your current prices, I won't be able to afford a return trip any time soon. - Yours, etc,

GREG TAMBLYN, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.