Journalists

Letters to the Editor: 'We must remember how fortunate we are to be able to live a happy life in our modern republic' 

In his inspiring poem, 'A happy life', Brendan Kennelly eloquently outlines the constituents of a happy life.

Letters to the Editor: 'Trump just keeps getting more and more ridiculous' 

Each week we think that Donald Trump cannot be more preposterous than the week before. 

Letters to the Editor: 'Refugees revitalise societies in which they are able to settle' 

I commend you for drawing attention to the unspeakable suffering of refugees beset by persecution, violence, verbal, physical and psychological harassment, homelessness, evictions, abject poverty, bankruptcy, racism, discrimination for reasons of race, religion, nationality and political persuasion.

Letters to the Editor: 'Unsung heroes in our health service all go the extra mile' 

Our health service comes under fire on a nearly daily basis. Over the last six months I have experienced the HSE up-close and personal, both as a patient and as an adult child of an elderly parent with almost weekly changing health needs.

Letters to the Editor: 'Racist acts take scourge of flag-burning to a new low' 

The emergence of pictures of two DUP councillors posing for photographs as the Irish national flag was burned on a bonfire in Portadown suggests that nationalists in the North may be in for another sectarian marching season. Surely it is long past time that the Orange Order and the DUP ceased closing their eyes and turning their backs on the actions of those associated with July 12...

Letters to the Editor: 'Uniform cost of education lower than in early '50s' 

A lot of complaints have been reported in the media in recent weeks regarding the cost of school uniforms.

Letters to the Editor: 'Government must protect State and stand by backstop' 

If “Brexit and a backstop are mutually incompatible”, as Nick Crawford claims (Irish Independent, Letters, July 16) then the English are just going to have to ditch Brexit.

Letters to the Editor: 'Nature will present us with a bill and we will have to pay' 

Climate change wrapped up in a nutshell...

Letters to the Editor: 'Dublin businesses Dún for if council doesn't park its plans' 

A lot of people love the feel of shopping in Dublin city centre more than the out-of-town malls, but equally they say that getting into town is too difficult by either public transport or private car, and it’s not helped by one-ways, confusing signage, and now parking charges increased by up to 70pc if they do have to use their cars.

Letters to the Editor: 'Time to rethink backstop' 

Sir - Every time I hear Leo Varadkar or Simon Coveney pontificate about the welfare of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland, it sends a shiver up my spine.

Letters to the Editor: 'Politicians must reject this beef deal that favours barons' 

The beef deal, part of the EU Mercosur trade deal with four South American countries, has all the attributes of a time-bomb. Every  politician in Ireland must force our weak Government to oppose it and to use our veto power within the EU.

Letters to the Editor: 'EU's trade deal disaster' 

Sir - The European Union's deal with South America makes a mockery of its position on the environment, pollution and biodiversity.

Letters to the Editor: 'Here’s what Corbyn needs to say to the British public to win general election and become PM' 

The reality is that only a British Labour government will have the policy plan, the will, and the confidence to address the social and economic problems facing the UK after years of vulture capitalism.

Letters to the Editor: 'We need to raise awareness and tackle scourge of obesity' 

The global scourge of obesity is topping smoking as the main cause of death and cancers. The multiple factors that contribute to obesity are notoriously complex and intertwined. The statistics are appalling. Tackling obesity is therefore one of the most formidable health challenges that define the 21st century.

Letters to the Editor: 'Electric avenues beckon en route to greener economy' 

One of the great drawbacks to a future clean environment is how greatly politicians and economists underestimate technology.

Letters to the Editor: '€1bn broadband bid needs Leo’s interest, not sarcasm' 

Leo Varadkar's response to Eir’s assertion regarding the National Broadband Plan was quite telling.

Letters to the Editor: 'Brexiteers have declared war on democracies of the EU' 

Dr D R Cooper (Irish Independent, Letters, June 26), writing from England, makes a comparison of the Brexit logjam centred on the ‘Irish backstop’ to the Mongol invasion of Europe in the 14th century.

Letters to the Editor: 'Varadkar’s bluff over the Border may soon be exposed' 

In 1345 plague struck a Mongol army besieging the Crimean city of Caffa, and to share their misery with their enemies they started to catapult infected corpses over the walls.

Letters to the Editor: 'Weaker sterling is driving us into UK’s hands on car sales' 

The Irish Independent reports that there is a huge surge in used car imports from the UK due to the probability of Brexit and the current differential between sterling and the euro.

Letters to the Editor: 'Leo must go it alone in finding source of leak' 

I must commend the Irish Independent for refusing to work with An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in his attempt to “find the leak” which, he claims, will allow him to explain how “damaging” information about Maria Bailey’s compensation claim made its way into the public domain – especially her quite impressive 10km running time post-swing fall.

Letters to the Editor: 'Longest day and a dip in sea' 

Sir - Summer solstice, which occurred last Friday, June 21, is the longest day of the year. To be meteorologically accurate, summer solstice is the day with the greatest amount of daylight. Even though the weather is currently unsettled, we enjoyed more than 17 hours of daylight last Friday.

Letters to the Editor: 'Ordaining married men as priests might work in an era when parishes face funding problems' 

Sarah MacDonald's report on Amazon bishops considering the possibility of ordaining elder married men to the priesthood (Irish Independent, June 18) made for interesting reading.

Letters to the Editor: 'Following Fionn’s example for some youthful vigour' 

Summer solstice, which falls today, is the longest day of the year. To be meteorologically accurate, summer solstice is the day with the greatest amount of daylight. Even though the weather is currently unsettled, we can expect more than 17 hours of daylight today.

Letters to the Editor: 'Perjurers must pay serious penalty for lying in court' 

I couldn't believe my eyes and ears at the news that this little country is thinking of taking the matter of perjury seriously.

Letters to the Editor: 'Women’s World Cup shows our men are second division' 

I have been watching the Fifa Women’s World Cup on RTÉ.

Letters to the Editor: 'Jobs market is not all it appears on the surface' 

With an unemployment rate sitting at 4.4pc, one could say that Ireland’s employment kimono is embracing all within its fabric folds.

Letters to the Editor: 'There are better ways to get legal reform than this farce' 

The ongoing farce that is the never-ending debate on the deeply flawed Judicial Appointments Bill resumes tomorrow in the Seanad.

Letters to the Editor: 'A match made in heaven' 

Sir — I have sweet memories of meeting the late Philomena Lynott back in 2005, when we in Bantry stole a march on the rest of Ireland and held our St Patrick’s Day parade on March 13 (for the simple reason of that being the nearest Sunday to the 17th).

Letters to the Editor: 'Irresponsible hypocrisy of Donaldson and Co around Brexit should be challenged head on' 

The failure to challenge Northern Irish politicians like Jeffrey Donaldson on the basic issues involved in Brexit is a major fault in the debate.

Letters to the Editor: 'Michael Gove’s cocaine use? It was only a Freudian slip' 

Tory party leadership hopeful Michael Gove’s cocaine use should be seen in a wider context.

Letters to the Editor: 'Rockall row is about more than just our fishery rights' 

Colette Brown, (Irish Independent, 12 June 2019) suggests “it is difficult to understand why Scottish ministers have adopted such a belligerent attitude over Rockall of late”. 

Letters to the Editor: 'Time for second referendum – you know it makes sense...' 

The only way to solve the current impasse that the UK has managed to trap itself in is to go to the country a second time and ask the electorate to choose between WTO Brexit or Remain.

Letters to the Editor: 'Democracy the only solution to stop hierarchy of power' 

Who will be the next Tory leader? Does it matter?

Letters to the Editor: 'Our double standards on greeting Hillary and Donald' 

Hillary Clinton voted for the invasion of Iraq. Which, in view of George Bush’s lies, might be put down to an unfortunate error of judgment.

Letters to the Editor: 'Etch their names for ever' 

Sir - As the 75th anniversary of D-Day passes, we should not only acknowledge the significant role of Irish soldiers in that major historical event, we should also express our heartfelt thanks to them for helping to liberate Europe from one of the most horrific tyrannies the world has seen.

Letters to the Editor: 'Love him or loathe him, Trump is doing exactly what he promised the voters – and succeeding' 

So Trump will be on his way home. The politicians have squirmed their way into a U-turn on previous derogatory - and I might add ill-advised - remarks while he was on his way to the White House. The protesters have demonstrated and Baby Blimp has been put to bed.

Letters to the Editor: 'Our soldiers honoured their allegiance in neutral times' 

For the generations born in Ireland since the end of World War II it is understandably difficult for some of them to envisage the state of public opinion on the issue of Irish neutrality. As the world commemorates the 75th anniversary of D-Day, there has been much comment, mostly of a critical nature, on the morality of our policy of neutrality between 1939-1945.

Letters to the Editor: 'We should not be proud to welcome Trump to our shores' 

As an Irish man, I am dismayed that the people of Doonbeg and its surrounds haven’t taken a stand against a man who has all the traits of a bully.

Letters to the Editor: 'I wish Katie Taylor well but boxing should be banned' 

Katie Taylor wins a boxing match but in the process of that match puts herself at risk of brain injury but in any event gets badly beaten up. She faces a rapturous homecoming as a reward and will become a millionaire.

Letters to the Editor: 'Working out if it's a Sunday is a marathon - not a sprint' 

Now that the dust has settled on the 2019 Belfast Marathon and sore and, possibly, sprained ligaments and muscles have been well rested and restored, might I be permitted to make a few comments. Hopefully, if my analysis is incorrect, readers of the Irish Independent, who are astronomical experts, will put me right.

Letters to the Editor: 'We cannot give in to French demands to extradite Bailey' 

The French have a warped sense of justice. The mantra since a court in Paris found Ian Bailey guilty on a trumped-up murder charge is he will one day find himself in a French prison.

Letters to the Editor: 'Preserve our precious park' 

Sir - I read this past week, with the greatest of dismay, some of the proposals for the Phoenix Park - such as the Office of Public Works' suggestion of a lodge change of use for holiday lettings, and other proposals for increased car parking and retail outlets of some sort.

Letters to the Editor: 'The only way to cure the scourge of cannabis in Ireland is for full legalisation and taxation' 

Ireland is facing an important decision: what to do about cannabis? Research supports the views of the group of doctors who warned us last week about the dangers of the drug, especially for young people and the psychologically vulnerable.

Letters to the Editor: 'Lack of knowledge fuels the bitter curse of discrimination' 

Dr Munjed Farid al Qutob (Letters, May 30) is quite right when he writes, “The taste of discrimination and exclusion is bitter and sour.”

Letters to the Editor: 'Greens need to pulp their posters and pamphlets' 

Greens need to pulp their posters and pamphlets

Letters to the Editor: 'Anger should be directed at all those who didn't vote' 

Having read Lorraine Courtney’s piece on the elections (‘We should have given Fine Gael bloody nose over inept handling of housing crisis’, Irish Independent, May 27), one felt like apologising for having the temerity to vote on issues other than those which Ms Courtney dictates we should have.

Letters to the Editor: 'We are all accountable for getting politicians we deserve' 

I am dismayed when I see the calibre of some of the councillors and politicians elected in this country. We have no ethics any longer as an electorate. We vote for someone who attempts to cheat the system and is found guilty of serious breaches in public office.

Letters to the Editor: 'Public welcomes the greens, but not any new taxes' 

There has been a green wave in the local and European elections. People want action on climate change. That, however, does not equate to people wanting to pay more tax.

Letters to the Editor: 'Cut the traffic, not the trees' 

Sir - I've lived in many different cities, but Brighton and Dublin have got to be my two favourites. They are perfect sized cities and they have lots of similarities.

Letters to the Editor: 'Constant confusion – when bake day is thrown into total chaos by the appliance of science' 

The 2019 redefinition of the SI base units came into effect this week, by setting exact numerical values for the Planck Constant (a discovery by a German physicist based on energy quanta which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918) instead of using the physical paradigm of kilograms which was sealed up in a French basement somewhere - with immediate consequences for my...

Letters to the Editor: 'Babies are better off being cared for by their mothers' 

In Ireland, most of the debate about crèches usually involves the cost or lack of availability, rather than the wisdom of placing babies under 12 months in childcare. Why have Irish universities or the HSE not researched the psychological issues of childcare?

Letters to the Editor: 'Couples should first seek out counselling before divorcing' 

Leo Tolstoy’s famous opening line of ‘Anna Karenina’ goes: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” 

Letters to the Editor: 'Murphy's inaction on housing lets down future generations' 

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy ('The market has never fixed a housing crisis - only the Government will', Irish Independent, May 18) sought to reason with the Irish people on his, and the Government's, inaction on public housing. In WB Yeats's poem 'Easter, 1916' is the line: "Polite meaningless words." It describes the minister's epistle.

Letters to the Editor: 'Government carries the can for mistakes of past regimes' 

It is noticeable how critical the media is of the present Government. It contrasts sharply with the media attitude to the government back in 2002 when, to quote an extract from the coverage of public affairs at the time, “every day and in every way things are getting better and better”. Given the consequences of the policies being implemented then, that statement has proven not to be true.

Letters to the Editor: 'Church must shoulder blame for first communion ‘day out’' 

Michael Kelly (Irish Independent, May 17) decries the manner in which first communion has more or less lost its religious dimension and become primarily a milestone in a child’s development. However, the Catholic Church must take considerable responsibility for this, due to its dominance of primary education.

Letters to the Editor: 'Similar and different' 

The mason works quietly at his ancient craft, selecting the next correct piece of granite.

Letters to the Editor: 'Trump’s failings are familiar but the US has a booming economy and soaring stock market' 

It's not popular to say it but I find it curious how ill-informed the majority of anti-Trump protesters are, eager to run with the pack without thrashing out the facts and comparing like with like.

Letters to the Editor: 'Irish women must do the write thing for our media' 

Eve Parnell (Letters, Irish Independent, May 16) cites the number of male epistles in the Irish media to signify Ireland’s media is ‘male’ biased: “By excluding women, they’re missing out on a whole load of sales.”

Letters to the Editor: 'This European election lark is really only for the birds' 

The petrel, one of Ireland’s rarest birds, was once thought to be extinct. It’s a bit like that with European election candidates, rarely seen and hard to spot.

Letters to the Editor: 'Government’s buzzwords mean nothing to rural young' 

I am 21 years old, this is my first time to vote in an election.

Letters to the Editor: 'Ongoing debate on a united Ireland could heal past scars' 

Sean O'Donnell (Letters, Irish Independent, May 13) thinks it's too early to discuss a united Ireland, because of the Brexit mayhem.

Letters to the Editor: 'Republic needs to compromise if it wants a United Ireland' 

Martina Devlin (Irish Independent, May 11) raises the prospect of a renewed conversation on Irish unity. I am not sure this is helpful so relatively soon after the end of a bloody campaign to bring this about by force ended. Whatever the unionist community thinks of Brexit, they are unlikely to be more favourably disposed towards unity while the wounds of that campaign are still raw.

Letters to the Editor: 'Leo's Irish language gaffe' 

Sir - Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald both call for the British government to have a plan B - that if the DUP don't agree to an Irish Language Act, the British government should force it on them.

Letters to the Editor: 'Broadband delay is like ‘Waiting for Godot’ for those of us on the wrong side of digital apartheid' 

Like a technology ‘Waiting for Godot’, the National Broadband Plan is coming. Not here yet but, like Godot’s arrival, it is imminent.

Letters to the Editor: 'Citizens need to march in favour of the common good' 

Jim O'Sullivan (‘FG must forget ideology and embrace common good’, Letters, Irish Independent, May 9) poses a number of pertinent questions on the current ethos – if they have any – of the Fine Gael party.

Letters to the Editor: 'FG must forget ideology and embrace the common good' 

While reading Adrian Weckler’s informative report on the proposed roll-out of broadband (‘All your questions answered about the Rural Broadband Plan”, Irish Independent, May 8), complete with the inevitable State giveaway of taxpayer paid-for infrastructure, I couldn’t help wonder where is all this Government gusto and determination when it comes to dealing with the homeless crisis, for example.

Letters to the Editor: 'Politicians fly in the face of common sense over housing' 

Cuckoo, magpie and vulture have all swooped in to the debate on the housing crisis. Another bird must also be added to this flock in the shape of the ostrich representing our politicians in power, who will surely have their feathers plucked in the forthcoming elections.

Letters to the Editor: 'May could put Tory Party in wilderness for decades' 

Theresa May, in the aftermath of the recent local election, has turned to the Labour Party for support in getting her Brexit solution through the House of Commons.

Letters to the Editor: 'Ireland’s thousand welcomes for our nation’s new citizens' 

The warm words of welcome spoken by Judge Bryan McMahon to the 2,500 people from 90 countries, who were conferred with Irish citizenship in Killarney last week, made me proud to be Irish.

Letters to the Editor: 'Feargal's gift of kindness' 

Sir - Please may I add my story to the wonderful stories we are hearing about the late Feargal Quinn?

Letters to the Editor: 'Remember Lyra's sacrifice and root out those who spread hate and support intimidation' 

The graffiti on some walls in Creggan in Derry shows Saoradh and its henchmen in the New IRA are nothing more than intimidating thugs who like to throw their weight around and sow fear wherever they go.

Letters to the Editor: 'If we must have more election posters, here’s a suggestion...' 

At a time when the world is drowning in plastic and paper waste, I believe that there are more election posters than ever. I am even confused about who is standing for local elections and who we are shipping off to Europe.

Letters to the Editor: 'Politicians seem to have faith in churchgoers as easy targets' 

This time of year, traditionally being the season for the church-gate collections of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, makes me wonder why they don’t do such collections on a Saturday afternoon?

Letters to the Editor: 'We must challenge extremists on both sides in the North' 

AS A person who lives and has lived near the Border with Northern Ireland, I can remember the heydays when there were checkpoints, long delays and constant checks by police and soldiers on both sides.

Letters to the Editor: 'Keeping faith with 'Spectator' and its theme of Christianity' 

I read what I felt was an unbalanced view of the special Easter edition of the 'Spectator' in the Irish Independent (Letters, April 27) by Frank Schnittger.

Letters to the Editor: 'Who sets the ‘standards’ for free speech on Facebook?' 

Whilst anyone with any decent humanity would rightly condemn the killing of Lyra McKee in Derry on Easter Thursday, I am concerned by the action of the company Facebook who deleted the account of the Saoradh political group.

Letters to the Editor: 'For Lyra, The Oak Tree City' 

Has she really died Cries the Oak Tree City? Has she really died, Has a bullet stopped our dreams? The fools, the fools believe That death’s the seed of freedom, The ancient blood-soaked lie From our old murder machine.

Letters to the Editor: 'For many spectators, claims about 'Little Leo' damaging Brexit are bordering on ridiculous' 

In my more idle moments, I sometimes spend time perusing the online editions of right-wing UK publications such as 'The Spectator'. There you will live in an alternative factual universe, where poor Britain is set upon by an evil EU, and worse still, is betrayed by its supposed allies. Chief culprit, these days, seems to be the Republic of Ireland, which has been set upon an anti-British...

Letters to the Editor: 'Mum knows best and there are two sides to every story' 

Having read Tanya Sweeney’s ‘top tips’ on motherhood (Irish Independent, April 24) I was disappointed to see some of the advice being offered by someone with a platform. Seeing as Ms Sweeney was kind enough to offer unsolicited advice to Meghan Markle, I thought I’d return the favour by enlightening her on some of her not so sound advice.

Letters to the Editor: 'Wrongs of mother and baby homes must be put right' 

John Lynch ('Nuns deserve appreciation not our denunciation', Letters, April 24) is "weary of hyperbolic denunciations of Catholic homes, Catholic brainwashing and so on".

Letters to the Editor: 'Create two housing markets to protect the home-buyer' 

Charlie Weston’s article (Irish Independent, April 20) correctly draws attention to the inevitable commodification of the housing sector.

Letters to the Editor: 'Lyra’s murder shows our history will not go away' 

The War of Independence started 100 years ago and we are commemorating this anniversary in style – with justification, as independence was granted to 26 of the 32 counties after a long and painful struggle.

Letters to the Editor: 'Lyra’s killers must be exposed for what they are – not feted' 

We have a very poor record of opposing and confronting the poison that is narrow nationalism.

Letters to the Editor: 'Terrorists must be crushed' 

Sir - The only reason the Good Friday Agreement exists is because the IRA of that time were soundly defeated and had nowhere to go except to the rescue of imposed decisions of constitutional politics

Letters to the Editor: 'Fine Gael’s lamentable record throws down the gauntlet to Martin to prove he can do better' 

FIANNA Fáil is in the unenviable position where it has no option but to come up with strong and humane policies to deal with the aftermath of Fine Gael's annihilation of rural Ireland. Failure to do so will be ample evidence it is no different to Fine Gael.

Letters to the Editor: 'If society was culpable it was due to Church brainwashing' 

I wish the media, particularly presenters and commentators on radio and TV current affairs programmes, when discussing the mother and baby homes scandal, would not declare with a smug, superior attitude that it was not only the clergy who were responsible but also society at large; and the democratically elected governments of the day who also bore responsibility by turning a blind...

Letters to the Editor: 'Couples who want to divorce deserve our understanding' 

Eamon Fitzpatrick (‘Vote No in divorce poll to avoid more shattered homes’, Letters, April 17) is against reforming divorce legislation and that is his prerogative.

Letters to the Editor: 'Vote No in the divorce poll to avoid more shattered homes' 

In the referendum next month, we will be asked to facilitate more liberal divorce laws. We will also be asked to pave the way for the recognition of divorces granted abroad.

Letters to the Editor: 'Those who turn down social housing create a new scandal' 

While some mainstream media organisations, social housing charities and certain councillors and politicians constantly bombard us about the thousands of homeless people in Ireland, here are a few facts that they might publish, but will not.

Letters to the Editor: 'Only the property-owning classes can prosper like this' 

When rents are taking a much greater portion of income - some up to 40pc - and deposit interest rates are nearly 200 times lower than house price increases, is not the property market one of the causes of all our economic woes?

Letters to the Editor: 'Lesson from Benn for Sinn Fein MPs' 

Sir - Any MP who objects to swearing an oath of allegiance can make a solemn affirmation instead (Sunday Independent, April 7).

Letters to the Editor: 'Brexit delay means our own farce will continue' 

It must surely be a great relief for Fianna Fáil that the Brexit debacle will carry on until at least October.

Letters to the Editor: 'Voters no longer take politics seriously – and pay the price' 

Yes, politicians are much to blame for the Brexit crisis. But we licensed them at the ballot box less than a year after voting for it: we the electorate bear our share of shame.

Letters to the Editor: 'MEPs' trough remains same as the EU shrinks by 15pc' 

Can some wise person explain to me why, with 65 million people leaving the EU, the number of MEPs apparently remains the same?

Letters to the Editor: 'May should quit now and let someone capable take over' 

Why can’t British MPs accept that Britons voted in 2016 by more than a million votes to leave the EU?

Letters to the Editor: 'Reliance on internet herds the lemmings towards cliff' 

An insidious feedback loop influences choice as real-time information (likes and dislikes) accelerates and expands across social media networks and the autocomplete of Google searches.

Letters to the Editor: 'Church should cast off those who want cultural sacraments' 

It is ironic that the divestment primary school project of the Archdiocese of Dublin is running into trouble not from the Catholic clergy, but from entrenched ultra-conservative lay elements.

Letters to the Editor: 'Compassion lies in death with dignity' 

Sir - It is a fundamental fact of existence that we die, just a matter of how, why, and when (The euthanasia debate, Letters, Sunday Independent, March 31). The sentiments expressed by Dr Foley regarding the manner in which he would prefer to pass his final days would be echoed by many, yet the topic of euthanasia is a contentious one, with some individuals being of the mind that it could be used as a convenient way of disposing of the vulnerable. Indeed, the definition of the word euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient.

Letters to the Editor: 'Even in ‘The Hungry Fifties’, our governments recognised that families had a right to a home' 

My mother and father wed in 1950s Ireland. Unable to afford a house, they moved in with my grandmother. The house consisted of two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs. The toilet was located outside.

Letters to the Editor: 'It's time for Britain to put a national government in place' 

The only solution to the current impasse in Westminster is for the UK parliament to vote for a long extension to Brexit, and if that comes at a price, ie holding European elections, then so be it.

Letters to the Editor: 'Church misogynists will get a shock when they meet God' 

Here we are in the 21st century, a time when much information is available to the world in an instant. Sadly, Roman Catholic Church hierarchy has become so obsessed with earthly power and Roman Empire trappings, spirituality takes a low place on their agenda, if at all, locking them in a different age.

Letters to the Editor: 'Voters need to show Sinn Féin just how out of touch it now is' 

Sinn Féin has never been more irrelevant as a political party as it has shown itself to be over the last few years. In Westminster’s indicative voting on Monday night, Kenneth Clarke’s proposal for a customs union with the EU, meaning a soft Border, was defeated by just three votes. Sinn Féin’s seven votes, if it had chosen to support such a motion, would have ensured this motion was carried.

Letters to the Editor: 'Stupidity of playing politics with tragedy of drink driving' 

The sheer stupidity and crassness of Finian McGrath’s assertions that gardaí “have become politicised and are carrying out unnecessary roadside breathalyser checks” (‘Coalition crisis over minister’s “disparaging” attack on gardaí,’ Irish Independent, April 1) can only be seen for what it is, populist rhetoric to appease those who think it’s okay to drink and drive.

Letters to the Editor: 'Thereʼs no mandate for Brexit without admitting true cost' 

The end of the Dingle Peninsula is the most westerly point in mainland Ireland. Which means it is also the farthest it is possible to get from Britain. It has one obvious cultural distance too, being a Gaeltacht region.

Letters to the Editor: 'Taoiseach gets a lynching' 

Sir - Donal Lynch does a benign 'lynching' job on Leo Varadkar's penchant for relentless self-promotion, fickle capriciousness and blatant 'U-turnisms' en route to and throughout his tenure as Taoiseach ('Leo's the man to preach to Pence', (Sunday Independent, March 17).