Sir, – In “Why Ireland should apologise for not taking in more Jewish refugees during the second World War” (Pádraig O’Moráin, Health + Family, October 12th), it was suggested that it was now time for the Irish Government to formally apologise for that failure. In fact, on January 25th, 2003, on the occasion of Ireland’s first Holocaust Memorial Event in City Hall, as minister for justice, equality and law reform, I made a full and lengthy public apology and acknowledgement on behalf of the Irish Government for Ireland’s failure to accord refuge to Jews seeking to escape Nazi persecution, acknowledging that the failure reflected widespread anti-Semitic prejudice present throughout Irish society and State at the time. That apology was noted in the international press in 2003. – Yours, etc,
Senator MICHAEL McDOWELL,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2.