Sir, - I was, as your Music Critic for a third of a century, deeply interested in reading "Discordant Chords" on your arts page (June 10th).
All of us have events in our lives that we greatly regret ever afterwards. One of mine is the notice and pair of open letters with Sean O Riada which you quote. For many reasons.
First, and obviously, that my notice of Sean's one man show at the Abbey was written without my knowing that Sean was a very ill man and with only a few weeks to live. Obviously, had I known, my notice would have been quite different, even if I could in no way have praised a deplorable show. This exchange of open letters was reprinted in the book published by Grattan Freyer, but not in the form authorised by me, as copyright holder, and, indeed, I had to threaten my friend from 1935 with an injunction if there were a second edition.
Sean and I knew each other since the first performance of Hercules in the Phoenix Hall. I wrote a number of pieces about him, including the sleeve note of Vertical Man, the recording of Hercules and a number of songs, sung by Bernadette Greevy; and the programme book of the Belfast Festival of which he was the resident composer.
More importantly, Sean and I had an interview published in Eire-Ireland in Spring 1971. This was real: the "famous" interchange was less.
Please, therefore, forgive me for asserting that your quotations from me do grave injustice to my views of O Riada and to our friendship. - Yours, etc., Charles Acton,
Carrickmines,
Dublin 18.