Sir, – The Irishman’s Diary of June 2nd contains an interesting piece on the town of Navan in Co Meath, during the course of which your diarist includes the sentence “The town formerly reverted to ‘Navan’ in 1971″, when I imagine that the word “formally” was intended instead.
Coincidentally, in a letter to the editor immediately below the Diary, on the subject of medication for obesity, there appears the sentence, “Obesity was formally seen as some kind of weakness in the sufferer. Thankfully nowadays . . .”, where “formerly” would most likely have been what the writer intended.
Maybe it’s my age, but am I noticing more errors of this nature in the media in recent times? I read, and heard, no less than three examples of “unchartered” waters in recent days, rather than the correct “uncharted”. Maybe I should just get out more often? – Yours, etc,
PETER McILWAINE,
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Ballymore Eustace,
Co Kildare.
