Sir, – On the Friday morning of July 11th I listened with pleasure to Diarmaid Ó Muirithe on RTÉ's Thought for the Day expanding on the word "precious" and expressing his fear that it would ultimately disappear entirely except for its sacred use, as in "the most precious blood of the Saviour".
Like a mediaeval craftsman he placed the word in its setting, examining its facets, colour and texture. Lucidly he argued his understanding of its uses and abuses. That evening I heard, with great sadness, of his sudden death in Vienna. Ó Muirithe's contribution to our understanding of words, their derivation and local values, is a gem of great preciousness and one for which I, and I'm sure thousands of others, are profoundly grateful. It could truly be said of and for him: in principio erat verbum. – Yours, etc,
CIARAN MacGONIGAL,
Edgeworthstown,
Co Longford