Madam, - Prof William Reville's glum (and arbitrary) assessment of Ireland's "Gross National Happiness" (April 26th) is (happily) contradicted by the facts.
A recent Cambridge University study placed Ireland behind only Denmark and Finland in the European happiness stakes. Similarly, measures of Irish happiness were an important factor in the Economist's naming of Ireland as the "world's best country" in 2005. If happiness is to be coherently treated as a policy objective - an increasingly fashionable notion - then inaccuracies and value judgments, exemplified by Prof Reville in Thursday's column, must not be allowed to intrude in the discussion. - Yours, etc,
SEÁN KEYES, South Circular Road, Limerick.