Sir, - By coincidence you published on November 16th the modest but welcome sum allotted to this island's maritime economy by our rulers in their endeavour to breathe eternal life into their "Celtic Tiger", as well as my friend John Higgins's irrefutable account of how in the 1980s Irish Shipping, which saved us from grim hardship during "The Emergency" and provided wealth and employment for us after it, was shamefully, ignominiously and stupidly wound up.
It would be instructive to be told how many millions of pounds have been lost to this country in the past 15 years because the cost of shipping our imports and exports now nearly all goes to enrich foreign ship-owners, too often operating "flag of convenience" vessels with poorly paid crews and other dubious characteristics.
Recently the Minister for the Marine announced that a serious effort was to be made to revive and expand our merchant fleet. It is up to the public and the media to see that this effort is successful and that the poltroonery of the government that annihilated Irish Shipping is never repeated. - Yours, etc.,
John de Courcy Ireland, Grosvenor Terrace, Dalkey, Co Dublin.