Sir, - We were interested to see a letter (November 22nd) about our book Hazel, A Life of Lady Lavery 1880-1935 by Sinead McCoole, but would like to point out that our author's "methodology in narrating aspects of the Lavery/Collins relationship" is not as flawed as your correspondent Ms Ruane might have it. The error "admitted on Kenny Live and elsewhere" refers solely to the organisation of two footnotes and a source citation, and this was indeed corrected in the book's reprint and no,, longer continues "to pose as fact"
It is remarkable what nits people choose to pick in a work hailed by two leading Oxford historians, John Regan and Roy Foster, as, respectively, "an outstanding first book" (Irish Times) and "of surpassing political interest . . . [and] a memorable portrait of Hazel herself. McCoole is judiciously unafraid to show that her subject could be at times foolish, bigoted, self-obsessive and tedious, as well as brave, imaginative and in the end independent" (The Independent).
As to the Collins movie, by Neil Jordan's own admission scenes including Hazel Lavery were cut from the original script as he didn't have the budget to film in London, where the crucial Treaty negotiations were enacted and Hazel's salon played its part. Nonetheless, Kitty was pretty as Julia Roberts; yes, Ms Ruane, real life is always more complex. - Yours, etc.,
(publisher), 4 Rosemount Terrace, Arbour Hill, Dublin.