Madam, - In reading his article on Puck Fair (August 14th) I got the impression that Fintan O'Toole may be a bit too civilised to appreciate the Puck and view it on its own terms.
His hysterical, all-consuming aversion to cattle dung seemed to have nearly overcome him to the point where one marvels that he made it out of Killorglin at all.
The attraction of Puck Fair, as expressed to me by many foreign tourists, is its utter ignorance of overly cautious health and safety regulations, anti-drink hysteria and the moral standards of the urban middle classes.
If Mr O'Toole had toured the pubs that he poured scorn on he would have found a wealth of Irish traditional music and many people, both young and old, and of different nationalities who would have challenged his one- dimensional view of Puck Fair.
If he returns again next year with a more open mind (and a sound pair of wellington boots to protect against the cattle dung), I'm sure he'll enjoy himself much more. - Yours, etc,
NIALL CROWLEY,
Killorglin
Co Kerry.