T O’ Neill Lane and his dictionary

A chara, – Seaghan Mac an tSionnaigh refers to T O'Neill Lane's Larger English-Irish Dictionary as "preceding Dinneen's Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Báarla (1927) by more than a decade" (An Irishman's Diary, May 5th). I would refer him to Dineen's preface to the 1927 work which opens as follows: "The first edition of this dictionary appeared, under my editorship, in 1904". – Is mise,

BRIAN Ó SÚILLEABHÁIN,

Sligeach.

Sir, – The story of T O’ Neill Lane’s failure to secure a job with the Civil Service because one of his legs was longer than the other reminded me of an old neighbour of mine who said, “Isn’t God very good to anyone with a short leg. He always makes the other leg longer.” – Yours, etc,

MATTIE LENNON,

Blessington,

Co Wicklow.