Sir, – Your obituary of Manfred Rommel (Obituaries, November 9th), the-long serving mayor of Stuttgart, brought back memories of Ireland's historic 1988 win over England in Stuttgart.
Working in our embassy in Bonn, I was assigned to assist some of the many Irish government ministers who found reasons – some more plausible than others – for being in Germany at the time of the match. The official representative was the late Brian Lenihan (senior), tánaiste and minister for foreign affairs at the time. He had more reason than anyone for being in Stuttgart, as his support for the FAI dated back long before it was fashionable.
Manfred Rommel hosted a lunch for the visitors and he and Brian Lenihan got on famously. The mayor insisted on taking the tánaiste, then gravely ill, in his own car to the match.
Certainly, as your article indicates, Manfred Rommel’s life is an example of the capacity to overcome a tragic past and go on to serve as a distinguished and admired public representative. – Yours, etc,
RONAN MURPHY,
Blacklion,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.