Sir, - The recent apology by the Taoiseach to journalists whose phones were deemed to be tapped illegally during Charles Haughey's time as Taoiseach is welcome and long overdue. It does, however, raise the question why the significant number of private citizens, whose phones were also reported to be tapped illegally, did not receive a similar apology.
I do not recall any journalist drawing attention to this anomaly. The implication seems to be that journalists are more important than the rest of the citizenry.
As I recall, some journalists, a number of whom are still practising their trade, were cheerleaders for Charles Haughey at the time.
Indeed, a number of the present Cabinet were part of the decision-making process practised with gusto by Haughey and those around him at that time.
I feel the Taoiseach should either extend his apology to the more lowly victims of illegal phone-tapping or assure us that there were only two victims. In addition, an apology from those in the media and government at that time, who provided then, and still continue to provide, an apologia for what Charles Haughey was doing, would not go amiss. - Yours, etc.,
A. Leavy, Shielmartin Drive, Dublin 13.