Sir, – I concur with the remarks of Mr McQuaid's letter in yesterday's Irish Times. I have just ceased my friends' membership of Wexford Fetival Opera after 37 years.
My memories of the 100-plus performances attended in the old and more recently in the new opera house are most positive.
However, while it is beautifully appointed, giving the Wexford Opera House national status is rather fanciful. There are opera houses throughout Italy in rural areas such as Pesaro which host summer festivals most successfully and with seating capacity even more than Wexford, but the prime opera houses are in Rome and Milan.
We are the only capital in Europe not to have an opera house. We promote this country on the world stage as on a par with others regarding financial services and conference centres so why not an opera house? Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys, please note. – Yours, etc. ANN McLOUGHLIN, Nutley Avenue, Dublin 4.