Sir, – I follow Peter Murtagh on Twitter and I clicked on his profile on Wednesday after he had delivered an incisive reply to a political reporter in the UK who suggested that Angela Merkel was “suddenly” willing to open up talks on the backstop with “please challenge falsehoods in your reporting rather than merely repeating them. . .”
It was his birthday (Twitter balloons) and I sent a tweet wishing him a happy one. To my surprise he replied with a thank you and said, "Travel pass arrived yesterday", with the requisite emoji. Little did I know that he was also retiring from your newspaper (Home News, April 12th).
A true gentleman and one where quality and quantity were synonymous in his writings, such as in "The case of O'Brien, the memory stick and a Rotterdam safe". Happy travels, Peter, and thanks for all the forensic reporting and analysis. – Yours, etc,
TOM McELLIGOTT,
Listowel, Co Kerry.