The Dirt Inquiry

Sir, - "The Irish are a fair people - they never speak well of one another." That is how Dr Samuel Johnson described us

Sir, - "The Irish are a fair people - they never speak well of one another." That is how Dr Samuel Johnson described us. I was reminded of that description of the Irish while reading an article by Siobhan Creaton (The Irish Times, June 17th) about the Dail Public Accounts Committee. While I am very Irish and often reluctant to speak well of my fellow citizens, even I found it difficult to agree with the last part of the following sentence: "Revelations that the former PAC deputy chairman, Mr Denis Foley, one of the six-member team which conducted the inquiry, was himself the holder of a secret account in the unauthorised Ansbacher deposits did, however, undermine some of its credibility with the public."

On the contrary, I believe the public can distinguish between the excellent work of the PAC and the regrettable behaviour of Mr Denis Foley, who failed to give "full, complete and accurate information" before he was selected to participate in the DIRT inquiry. - Yours, etc.,

Joseph Marron, Rathmines, Dublin 6.