Sir, - Since the Turkish earthquake, the London Times has published a number of letters giving their authors' considered view that no aid should be given to Turkey until a Kurdish republic is declared, or the Ottoman Empire is apologised for, or hell freezes over - whichever is the later.
Sadly, Dara Connolly's letter (August 30th) seems to show that intemperate Turcophobia is not confined to this side of the Irish Sea.
There is a particular sadness in this because of an Editorial you published after the similarly catastrophic earthquake in eastern Turkey in 1939.
Under the headline "Let Erin Remember", it described how Sultan Abdul Mejid II, on hearing of the Irish potato famine, had enquiries made of the British Embassy. Unimpressed by the explanation that it was essential for the population to be reduced to a level naturally sustainable in a poor harvest year, the Sultan ordered a freighter to be filled with Anatolian grain and sent it to Ireland with his compliments.
The Turkish consulate in Liverpool, at that time the nearest Turkish diplomatic mission to Ireland, was reported to be deluged by contributions from Irish Times readers. - Yours, etc.,
Osman Streater, Brook Street, London W1.