Sir, – The frequently mentioned instances of the callous way in which the entitlements of various health and social welfare recipients are being investigated caused me to remember an event that occurred about 50 years ago.
At the time, officials directly involved with the management of welfare were obliged to live in the areas they served. They were often attached to the local dispensary. One of these officials was a neighbour and friend of my own parents. Indeed, he was a friend to all his neighbours. To everybody’s shock he died suddenly some time in the late 1950s. Of course I accompanied my parents to his funeral. The church was filled with many of his former clients, who were the poorest of the poor. After the service, some of them approached the official’s widow and told her of the great kindness her late husband had shown to them. Many of them were in tears.
If anyone can suggest a more noble memorial to a life than the love and respect of the poor, I would like to know about it. I would also suggest that we may need to review the manner and underlying attitudes with which we now concern ourselves with their needs. – Yours, etc,
PETER KENNY,
Hillside Drive, Dublin 14.