Sir, - John Waters, in his column "Silly season media kept O'Flaherty saga alive", perfectly captured the essence of the O'Flaherty saga. So many times I opened my Irish Times in anticipation of reading sane and sensible contributions on the subject, but in vain. As John Waters said, time and again the interest in this matter was evaporating but then the media, including Editorials in The Irish Times, stirred it up again.
With so many newsworthy items relegated to inside pages and smaller paragraphs, the O'Flaherty affair took over the headlines. One of the reasons I would not buy English tabloid papers is because of their penchant for destroying the careers and lives of so many. I am afraid that in this instance I consider the Irish papers were in the same league.
On my own behalf and on behalf of so many who had not the opportunity for speaking up in defence of Mr O'Flaherty, I would like to apologise to him for the untoward publicity and character assassination imposed on himself and his family in this whole sorry affair. - Yours, etc.,
Mrs Mary Stewart Ardeskin, Donegal Town.