Sir, - Marie Corr (April 4th) may have been a little naive in applauding John Waters's column of March 26th. Ms Corr admires Mr Waters because he "voiced the fact that the indigenous population [of Ireland] could have some sincere concerns about the cultural and economic future of our small island". Ms Corr goes on to ask: "How can we welcome the enrichment of strangers unless we are self-confident and proud of being Irish. . . ?"
Ms Corr may not be aware that John Waters has repeatedly questioned "the enrichment" of Irish culture by the native Irish who happen to live in Dublin 4. Since he finds it so difficult to assimilate the inhabitants of Dublin 4 into his ideal notion of Irishness, it is not surprising that he feels profoundly uneasy about the arrival in Ireland of people from eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.
I, on the other hand, have lived in relative safety among the picturesque denizens of Dublin 4 for many years and have found them to be a rather ordinary, happy-go-lucky tribe, albeit sometimes motivated by ambition and the desire for material wealth. They must represent, in my view, an opportunity for self-improvement for Mr Waters. If he can somehow bring himself to hate Dublin 4 people less, he may in time become reconciled to people from further afield. - Yours, etc.,
Colin Brennan, Nutley Square, Dublin 4.