Sir, - We feel that P. Quinn (July 28th) is unfair to foreign students in Ireland. We are a group of Spanish students and we have come to Ireland to improve our English, to meet people and to visit some places of interest. In points three and four of his letter, Mr. P. Quinn claimed that foreign students are impolite, rude, mean and rough. We would like to strongly disagree with this because it is very wrong to generalise when talking about young people. The students who come here on holidays are enjoying themselves; they may seem loud and boisterous, as would any group of Irish teenagers visiting another country.
We are sure that if any young student were asked for a seat in the bus by an elderly person, they would be more than happy to oblige. This is what we do in our own country. Furthermore, we've been told that the litter problem outside fast-food outlets is a year-round problem and it cannot therefore be just the fault of foreign students. In our opinion, it is the responsibility of the restaurant owners to provide enough bins near their businesses. It is also important to remember the financial benefits that students bring to many businesses in Ireland. Finally, we're very surprised that the Irish Bus Company doesn't increase its supply of buses at this time of year to cater for the extra tourists and foreign students.
We have really enjoyed our stay in Ireland and we have found the people very friendly. We would hope that not many Irish people would have the same view as Mr. Quinn. - Yours, etc., A. Martinez, S. Palza, L. Martinez, E. Parez, J. Saiz, I. Galinda, F. Monedero,
Bishopstown Community School, Cork.