Sir, – "Brian Friel would have been the last person to see himself as a national cultural icon". Your salient editorial (October 5th) captured both the essence of the man and his formidable creative presence for over half a century.
While many are aware of his social reticence, noble humility and his terse, minimalist humour, few might be aware of the cool image he, perhaps inadvertently, presented for us as primary school pupils in 1959.
At St Patrick’s primary school in Pennyburn, he was the dude on the faded mauve motorbike, who with his fellow teacher as pillion passenger, zoomed past us, as we progressed in line at the end of our school day toward the school gates.
Not a helmet in sight, with wiry hair flowing and a customary serene visage, he “varoomed” past us with aplomb and panache. – Yours, etc,
JIM COSGROVE,
Lismore,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – In 1987, as an 18-year-old Leaving Cert student, I was catapulted into the other world of theatre and into the heart of Ballybeg. It was my first real engagement with the power of theatre when I read and re-read Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Years later I returned to university as a mature student of drama and theatre studies. I dared to write to Friel not once but on five separate occasions and received a reply every time. – Yours, etc,
Dr FIONA BRENNAN,
Knocknagree,
Co Cork.