A chara, - In recent days Formula One fever seems at last to have taken hold of the Irish public's imagination. Hundreds of column inches have been devoted to Co Down's Eddie Irvine, who now appears to be in with a shout of the World Championship.
This attention contrasts markedly with the profile afforded Irvine by the Irish media earlier in the year. Back then, the focus of reporters' attention was the Irish-owned (but British-based) Jordan team. RTE, which holds television rights to F1 coverage in this country, was the worst offender when it came to relegating the role of the only Irishman driving in the sport. I recall fuming as numerous radio reports recorded the fortunes of Jordan drivers among the headlines with little or no mention of Eddie Irvine, who invariably finished well ahead of them.
Surely we aren't guilty of that appalling English habit of virtually ignoring sportsmen from the Celtic fringe until success beckons and Scottish, Welsh and Irish alike are claimed as British?
Oh, when I'm at it, does The Irish Times intend to include players born north of the border in Mary Hannigan's excellent "Irish in Britain" soccer column this season? I seem to recall they were omitted last time round. - Is mise,
Robert Love, Shelbourne Village, Dublin 4.