Sir, - What a welcome to Ireland is the restaurant in Dublin airport, one of the first places visitors visit.
Yes, renovations are being carried out with appropriate apologies. There are long queues at the counter, and when one eventually gets one's hot breakfast, there is more waiting for the toast to go with it. The next problem: a clear, not to mention clean, table - not one in sight in the smoking area where I wished to sit. I cleared an area at a table to put my tray down, feeling sorry for a waitress who was trying to clear a large number of tables on her own. I asked her if the place was short-staffed that morning. She replied: "No, it's just that the restaurant opens hours before we come on duty."
A bit "Irish", don't you think? - Yours, etc.,
Florence Bass, Dara Court, Celbridge, Co Kildare.