Sir - Donal McMahon (October 11th) does not go back far enough in time when attributing all the blame to Turkey for the current situation in Cyprus. It all began with Archbishop Makarios and his determination to make all Cyprus part of mainland Greece.
But this correspondence was triggered by Arminta Wallace's Irishwoman's Diary (October 6th) on holidays in Northern Cyprus and I was delighted to see these being publicised at long last. I went a few years ago to the Greek part of Cyprus on holiday with my daughter and we did not enjoy ourselves. We found it very commercialised and all maps blanked out the Turkish part of the island, marking it "Enemy Occupied". In the same way, all guides at archaeological sites managed to work anti-Turkish polemic into their spiel, despite it being in no way relevant to their subject.
The following year we went on holiday to Girne (Kyrenia in Greek) and loved it so much we have returned again and again. The people were warm and friendly and only discussed the political situation if we wished to discuss it. As Shelley Deane states (October 16th) they do not consider themselves Turkish, but Turkish-Cypriot, and they are by no means enthusiastic about the floods of Turkish tourists flying in from Ankara and Istanbul.
Personally I resent the fact that Greek political influence on international law means I have to go via Ankara or Istanbul, taking a great deal longer than it does to reach the Greek part of the island. - Yours, etc.
Carolyn Swift, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.