Madam, - The fact that a Naval ship took part in the Trafalgar celebrations on the orders of the Dublin administration calls into question the neutrality of Ireland.
The presence of the LE Eithne in the Solent raises questions about foreign policy.
This gathering of ships was celebrating the victory of the English over the French in naval wars and all the vessels were reviewed by the queen of England and her top brass in the armed forces.
Taking part in such a display was wrong. It gave the wrong impression to many other countries with a maritime history.
We have always held ourselves to be a neutral sovereign country with an independent foreign policy.
To many it must now seem that we are aligned with the British armed forces. - Yours, etc,
JOE LYNCH, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick.
Madam, - I fail to see the attendance of an Irish Naval vessel at the Trafalgar commemoration as a problem, as many Irishmen were a part of the British navy during that battle.
I invite Mr Tom Cooper (July 2nd) to look at the website recently launched by the UK National Archive where every man who served at the battle can be traced together with their details. On that site he can type in most familiar Irish names and will see sailors from Cork, Wicklow, Dublin and pretty much every other county in our Republic who were there on the day.
I find repugnant in the extreme our failure, until comparatively recently, to acknowledge our war dead from the first World War. Many fought with the very best of intentions but had their graves desecrated.
Just check out the military cemetery at the Curragh. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN FLINTER, Castleknock, Dublin 15.
Madam, - It's a shame that in the 21st century, some people are still very insecure about their national identity. What is the problem in our nearest neighbour inviting the Irish Naval Service to attend the International Fleet Review to commemorate Trafalgar?
Surely we are gracious and mature enough to accept and enjoy it. It is not a stepping stone to Ireland joining the Commonwealth, as one letter writer suggests and it did not leave a gaping hole in fishery protection duties, as another suggested.
Ships from approximately 40 countries attended the review. They included France, Bulgaria, Serbia, Poland, Algeria, Brazil and Colombia, to name just a few, and none of these is a Commonwealth member to the best of my knowledge. If the invitation had come from any other country, then I guess we wouldn't have seen a single letter. - Yours, etc,
TIM McALPIN, Marino, Dublin 3.