Sir, – Diarmaid Ferriter comes to the defence of Charles Trevelyan, who he says oversaw London’s response to the Famine and mentions a figure of €500 million in today’s money which might buy you 600 or 700 houses in modern Dublin (“Notion that Trevelyan family should throw us a few quid is a farce”, Opinion & Analysis, May .
But to quote the Daily Telegraph on the subject: “Sir Charles said the Irish deserved the famine in which around a million died saying it was a ‘punishment from God’ for being ‘idle’ and ‘ungrateful’”.
These were hardly words to encourage the giving of private charity and no doubt would land him in trouble with incitement to hatred legislation today. – Yours, etc,
NOEL COSTELLO,
READ MORE
Clairo at 3Olympia: Whispery vocals and piano licks make a seamless transition from bedroom to jazz club
Pancake Tuesday: what’s the history, what does ‘shrove’ mean and what’s the significance for single people?
Explainer: What military aid was the US giving Ukraine?
‘I am at a loss as to how €5,200 goes missing’: PTSB customers say refunds disappeared without a trace
Sutton,
Dublin 13.
