Madam, - As somebody who has travelled extensively, I do not subscribe to this "Rip-off Ireland" thing. True, we are not a cheap country, but most of the complaints you publish under this heading seem to me to be from Irish people who are not comparing like with like. Let me just take two examples from the Letters of July 23rd.
Mr Richard Bannister goes to Parknasilla, a lovely and remote spot on the edge of Europe. He stays at the wonderful Great Southern Hotel where people go to relax and escape from the pressures of workaday life.
His complaint? He cannot spend hours on the Internet as cheaply as he can in a business hotel in Sweden or New York. (I am delighted to learn that mobile phone coverage in the area is "patchy at best").
Mr David Marlborough goes to the Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, looks at the menu and tries to negotiate a half-portion of scone. I doubt if he would try that in a similar establishment in Nice or Milan.
Next time he is sipping a coffee on the Promenade des Anglais he should try to offer them half price (he will find it a damn sight more expensive than in the Marine).
Obviously we do suffer some disadvantages - e.g. the high tax on wine and beer, the lack of mid-range dining places - but let's keep a sense of proportion. - Yours, etc.,
W.J. MURPHY, Malahide, Co Dublin