More glory beckons, but now is the time to savour Ireland’s rugby triumph

These are great days for supporters and especially for Johnny Sexton and all of the magnificent players, management and backroom staff.

I truly hope they drink it all in slowly before getting back to proving themselves all over again and again.

Great times are here now, hopefully more success beckons but we can wait to drink from that cup – for now, we savour.

Aidan Roddy

Cabinteely, Dublin 18

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Our boys in green are truly worth their weight in gold

Not long ago if one suggested Ireland, with our tiny cohort of rugby players, would win a senior and U-20 Grand Slam, be ranked number one in world rugby and be seen as a favourite for the Rugby World Cup this year, it would either be a dream or a case of lunacy.

Truly this is our golden age, enjoy it while we can. This is once-in-a-lifetime stuff. Well done to all.

David Ryan

Co Meath

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Second-half performance should be inspiration to all

The Irish rugby team’s victory on Saturday should be an encouragement to up-and-coming players in all sports in the future.

It was heartening to see the Irish team pulling their socks up after a lacklustre first half. That brings to mind the old saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.”

Leo Gormley

Dundalk, Co Louth

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Penalising Airbnb owners will not solve housing crisis

Ellen Coyne writes of the lack of planning applications in rent pressure zones as if this is a surprising development and that all Airbnb owners should be queuing at the local planning office (‘No permission for thousands of Airbnbs in rental hotspots’, Irish Independent, March 18).

The reality is very simple: who is going to be foolish enough to waste money applying for planning permission for short-term lets when the planners have been instructed not to grant it in rent pressure zones?

It’s time our lawmakers stopped messing with a perfectly good arm of our tourist industry. Airbnb cannot solve the housing crisis, but what it can do is provide excellent, self-regulating, low-cost tourist accommodation for people who cannot afford the more expensive hotels.

The only way tens of thousands of tourists will come to this country is if they can afford to stay.

Airbnb brings in hundreds of millions in revenue directly and indirectly, in many cases to deprived areas where there is little else happening.

It creates valuable employment, not to mention the money owners have spent in the economy developing their premises.

Something has to be done to solve the housing crisis, but wrecking a profitable functioning tourist attraction isn’t the answer. Politicians, leave well enough alone.

Mattie Larkin

Galway

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Arrest warrant sends strong message to world dictators

That the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant for Vladimir Putin’s arrest is small compensation to the people in Ukraine who have endured an unlawful invasion, indiscriminate bombing of the civilian population and infrastructure, rape, murder and the forced deportation of children.

While the US and Russia are not signatories to the ICC, the fact that the chief prosecutor saw fit to pursue Putin and another Russian official for alleged war crimes will hopefully give other dictators food for thought before they use power to dominate and unleash their terrible cruelty on others.

While we have seen a number of dictators prosecuted before the ICC and jailed, we must not allow leaders of countries who deny basic human rights, mistreat minority groups and wage unnecessary wars against neighbours to retire into oblivion where there are no consequences for their actions.

Christy Galligan

Letterkenny, Co Donegal

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It’s never too Late Late to step out of the limelight

As Ryan Tubridy steps back from the constant camera glare of The Late Late Show, is this perhaps a case of saving the private Ryan?

Tom Gilsenan

Beaumont, Dublin 9