KIERAN OWENS,
Sir, - Thank you for publishing Dermot Bolger's most moving article on the late, great Lar Cassidy (An Irishman's Diary, October 7th). It reminded me of a time, long before his appointment at the Arts Council, when his enthusiasm for art and artists was shown in another practical way.
As a very young teenager in the early 1970s, I was privileged to attend several wonderful nights of music and literature at the Foxrock Folk Club, which he and Clodagh O'Reilly organised with an equal respect for jazz, folk, "popular" and traditional Irish music, poetry and prose. It was there I first saw The Chieftains, and also the young Louis Stewart, effortlessly releasing sublime creativity from world-wide jazz influences.
Alongside Clodagh, Lar, with his polite, elegant manner, personified the role of gracious host. He made us all feel welcome to these diverse but fascinating gatherings, and he always sent us home thoroughly nourished by the cultural fare. When I think of him now, I hope there is a paradise and that he is there, meeting his literary and musical heroes. He deserves that reward, having worked so selflessly, throughout his short life, to bring us such a wide range of artistic riches. - Yours, etc.,
KIERAN OWENS, The Event Guide, Dublin 2.