Madam, – A rather odious letter by Tom Cooper (March 20th) advocated that Irish people who accept awards from the British government should be stripped of their citizenship and cast into exile. In addition to being morally deficient, this letter was factually lacking.
Mr Cooper claims Canadians cannot receive a knighthood without renouncing their citizenship. This is misleading as it is only the policy of the Canadian government to offer advice that such honours not be bestowed, and this advice is usually accepted. In fact, some Canadians have been knighted, eg Neil Shaw.
Regarding Irish law, as stipulated in the Constitution, citizens cannot receive titles of nobility without the prior approval of the Government. Such approvals have been given, eg for Tony O’Reilly.
It is disappointing to see such extremist views being published by your newspaper. In the 21st century, an OBE carries no more connotation than the Légion d’honneur or Presidential Medal of Freedom. If Irish people such as Bob Geldof do so much that foreign states see fit to honour their achievements, then their awards should be accepted. And excepting a few, most Irish people will be proud of their fellow citizens. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Tom Cooper (March 20th) writes, “any Irish citizen who accepts a British title should be denied the privilege of Irish citizenship and surrender their Irish passport”. This demand is not so much ridiculous and risible as impractical – it’s hard enough trying to collect a passport, owing to long queues on Molesworth Street in Dublin and work stoppages by civil servants; imagine trying to surrender one, especially under duress? – Yours, etc,