IRA boss’s defiant gloating on TV was a step too far

A former IRA boss, Kieran Conway, now a solicitor, said on the RTÉ news he was proud to have been a member of the terrorist organisation for two decades, but he appears reluctant to be interviewed in Britain about the Birmingham pub bombings and is not willing to divulge the names of people who certainly have the necessary information leading to the investigation moving forward.

Following the former inquests being thrown out as new facts in the cases of the murdered innocents come to light. The effrontery of the man is staggering.

This fellow was given a free run, without interruption, by RTÉ’s Sharon Ní Bheoláin, who listened attentively to his story. Meanwhile I, and I suspect many other viewers, nearly fell off our chairs as we were confronted with what amounted to gloating and defiance in the face of such damning exposure.

Too much is allowed in the name of what is laughingly called the Peace Process. Let justice be done though the heavens fall. Robert O’Sullivan, Bantry, Co. Cork.

A drop of rain… I knew it was only a matter of time before I heard the expression, ‘We could do with a drop of

rain.’ If we get more than three days of sunshine we lose the run of ourselves. We get anxious about having to prepare salads. We buy sun loungers, barbecues, bedding plants and parasols. We get sunburned. We talk incessantly about the ‘mighty weather’ and ‘not being able for the heat’.

We can’t sleep at night but refuse to take the blankets off the bed. We say, ‘I haven’t turned on the heat in a week’ as if it is an amazing achievement. We are simply not a summer nation, we prefer mild winter conditions.

We will never tan naturally and are not conditioned for continuous salads. There are hungry men out there who would trade a sunny afternoon for a good feed of bacon and cabbage and say ‘we could do with a drop of rain’ in the hope that hot meals return to the household menu soon. Xavier McCullough, Limerick.

An insult to GAA

For many months people with televisions in this country have had to ‘put up’ with a seemingly endless barrage of advertisements warning us of the consequences of being caught without a TV licence.

Of course, there’s been no shortage said about the standard of programmes being screened with repeats too prevalent.

While RTÉ has been blowing its own trumpet about its Euro 2016 soccer championship coverage, it is disappointing that the station did not cover live the opening championship games of the defending All-Ireland champions Dublin and Kilkenny.

This is surely an insult to licence holders who follow Gaelic games.

Eric Rice, Navan, Co. Meath.

Who needs foes?

An unwritten convention exists on non-intervention in external elections. Aside from protocol, however, it seems counterproductive on the part of any Irish politicians to gratuitously take a swipe at Donald Trump. What is it in aid of?

If Trump were to become the next US president, future St Patrick’s Day official visits to the US might prove embarrassing to say the least. Just as Ireland follows her own militarily neutral tradition, it would be wiser to adhere to her established electorally neutral path. Who needs foes?

Seán Bearnabháil, Baile Átha Cliath 9.

Life over lucre

Joe Duffy is right. All lifesaving drugs should always be made available, no excuses (MoS, June 5). I witnessed the deaths of my father and my husband from cancer. The trauma is lifelong for me. Cancer takes the best of the lives of people who still have so much good to give to society.

Human life must come before economics always. Orkambi must be made available immediately to the many young people battling cystic fibrosis. Maureen Lowndes, Geashill, Co. Offaly.

A noble notion

Whatever we may think of his views on other issues, we must commend John Halligan TD, on not taking advantage of a legal loophole to avoid a speeding fine and penalty points. His view that he broke the speed limit and should pay the penalty is admirable.

Could we see a change in legislation to provide that, where a driver is prepared to swear in court that the penalty letter was not received, the non-receipt of the letter should be taken merely as a mitigating factor rather than having the charge thrown out, as happens at present?

Tom Burke, Clonsilla, Dublin 15.