Sir, Your correspondents William Graham and M. D. Kennedy (letters, January 4th) must feel very insecure in their Irishness to be so touchy about the name given by foreign TV weather forecasters to our archipelago as the "British Isles". Having spent most of my formative years abroad, I have never had any great hangup about the term as a convenient description, although I can understand why we prefer to refer to "these islands".
I have represented Irish interests all over the world, and have never had any difficulty in establishing my nationality. Indeed this has mostly been an ad vantage. Now I don't suppose the residents of Morecombe see any great incongruity in bathing in the "Irish" Sea nor do Cornish fishermen see a reference to the "Irish Box" as any Irish territorial claims on their waters.
I like President Robinson's idea of Irishness as being related to people, not territory. Would Mr Kennedy (who seems to equate nationality with residence) accept that one could be as Irish in Kilburn or the Bronx as in Glenageary? And does Mr Graham seriously believe that reference to the "British Isles" by weather forecasters implies a process of exploitation. . . and domination"?
Let us be mature enough to stand on our own feet and not feel subservient. Nobody is suggesting that we are "part of Britain". There are far more important things to worry about. Yours, etc., Malahide, Co Dublin.