How dare these thugs pretend to be soldiers?
IF I and and a group of my friends marched down O’Connell Street disrupting traffic, I’m sure that we would be arrested, yet a ragtag bunch of degenerates purporting to be representing Ireland are allowed to take over the centre of Dublin. How dare they? Apart from being dangerous, they look extremely stupid in their military-style uniforms playing soldiers they represent nobody only themselves.
They should be consigned to history. We have one army and one police force, we don’t need any ragtag bunch in our midst.
Brendan O’Brien, Dublin 24.
Murder at Easter
EASTER is a beautiful time of year. Spring is in the air and all of life is at its best. And this Easter we were exceptionally blessed with glorious sunshine.
And then on Easter Thursday, we were horrified by the barbaric, murder of 29-year-old Lyra McKee. It brought to my mind Joseph Mary Plunkett’s poem, this beautiful poem that we recited as school children: I see his blood upon the rose And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies. I see his face in every flower; The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice – and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.
All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.
The politicians owe it to Lyra and all the other innocent people needlessly murdered, to come together, to govern together and work to bring peace. Margaret Walshe, Dublin 15. …LET us not delude ourselves into believing that the untimely death of Lyra McKee at the hands of paramilitaries will change anything.
Even children have borne the brunt of the Troubles in the past and the deadlock still remained as ominous as ever. Stormont has been out of service since January 9, 2017.
Yes, people are united in sorrow and grief for the murder of Lyra, but will it translate into action? Sure, it will make people stop and think for a while, but for how long before it’s business as usual?
Father Martin Magill asked the question: ‘Why in God’s name does it take the death of a 29-yearold girl to get us to this point?’
Answer: It has to be brought home to politicians what the price of failure is. Politicians are asleep and sometimes society at large.
They have to be woken up about the high price of failure in the shape of barbaric shootings and killings.
Lyra probably achieved more in her shortened life time than half the politicians present at her funeral, many of whom are who are careerists and will achieve nothing. Maurice Fitzgerald, Shanbally, Co. Cork.
The glory days
THE death of Celtic’s European Cup winning captain Billy McNeill this week was a reminder of an era when top-level soccer was more of a sport than a business, as it is these days.
When Celtic conquered Europe in 1967, entry to the competition was confined to champions of competing countries and the triumphant team was made up mainly of players from the Glasgow area.
Nowadays, some of the top nations have four sides sporting players from various corners of the world chasing the big prize.
Extra revenue and extra hype are generating factors but it was so different back in the days of Billy McNeill and his companions when footballers were generally more admirable role models. Noel Coogan, Navan, Co. Meath. LISA SMITH should never be allowed to set foot in Ireland.
She wanted to live under Sharia law; why did she not go to another country that practices this law? Why did she go to a war-torn country where brutal murders are committed? Why is nobody in media asking these questions?
She is a trained soldier and very dangerous.
Brianán McBride, Dundalk.
I’m not a fan
ACCORDING to The Irish Mail on Sunday’s Magazine (April 21), Only Fools And Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst cannot bear to watch old episodes of the series because some of the cast have died.
I also do not look at the episodes but for a different reason: because I consider to be less than entertaining and generally unfunny.
It is appreciated that it was popular with viewers and, in fairness, it was devoid of the vulgarity associated with Mrs Brown’s Boys.
I much prefer David Jason in A Touch Of Frost, which does not enjoy the same prominence in the TV reruns.
Billy Wilson, Waterford city.