Madam, - I see the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Coughlan, feels that the country is not, and indeed "may never be ready", for same-sex marriage. (The Irish Times, May 15th).
Has it ever occurred to Ms Coughlan that the issues of marriage and private relationships should not be something with which "the country" concerns itself?
Rather, these are issues of fundamental human liberty and, in the case of same-sex marriage, equality for all in the eyes of the Law.
Marriage, as an expression of loving commitment between two people and as a means for those people to provide stability for each other in life (financially and otherwise), is something which all citizens of the State should be free to avail of, regardless of the embarrassingly outdated reservations of Ms Coughlan or anyone else. - Yours, etc.,
OWEN CORRIGAN, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7.