Sir, – I too thought how thrilled my late mother, Pearl Carson, would have been at the wonderful performance of the Ireland's women's hockey team (Denis Templeton, August 13th).
She held the record number of caps for Ireland for 20-plus years until Maeve Kyle surpassed her in the 1950s. Later she became an international umpire and was secretary of the Irish Umpires’ Association for many years. She often mentioned her friend Winnie Templeton to me, as well as mentioning Ida Brandon from Belfast, Sheila Murphy from Cork (the mother of Noel Murphy, the rugby international) and Kate Russell from Pembroke.
Like Mrs T, my mother also travelled North and South to umpire matches, and was very proud that it was an all-Ireland team. She kept a record of all the players on each team from the first match in the 19th century until her death in 1983.
To see the exuberant rendering of Ireland's Call and the joy of winning the silver medal will remain with me for a long time. – Yours, etc,
MERVYN CARSON,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Christopher Harte (August 10th) implies (although he never used the correct name) that Amháin Na bhFiann is the anthem for the Republic of Ireland. That is not correct, it's the anthem for Ireland.
I (an Ulster-born Irishman) deserve to be recognised and represented. Those who choose to ignore wilfully my right as an Irishman are repeating the sins for their fathers.
This is beyond hockey but symptomatic of the sop to the Ulster noisy minority. – Yours, etc,
EOIN O’KANE,
Monkstown, Co Dublin.