Madam, - It was unfortunate that Niall O'Dowd's response (November 20th) to my opinion piece (November 16th) had little to do with the substance of the piece and concentrated instead on attacking the work of the US-Ireland Alliance.
My piece was opposed to a special deal for Irish illegal immigrants.
I argued that any deal should be for all immigrants, regardless of their background.
I stand over the view that an "Irish only" deal is divisive and racist.
Sadly, Mr O'Dowd's article is full of inaccuracies and misleading statements.
For example, he gives the impression that other countries have secured deals for their illegal immigrants.
They haven't.
But it's the inaccurate criticisms of the US-Ireland Alliance, and the Mitchell Scholarship programme that we administer, that I particularly want to respond to.
His attack is surprising given that, until recently, Mr O'Dowd was a member of the alliance's advisory board.
During that time, he was always supportive of the alliance.
But Mr O'Dowd wrote that the "The US-Ireland Alliance busies itself with an annual Hollywood gala, selling Ryder Cup executive boxes and sending well-heeled Americans, both elite college students and golfers, to Ireland."
The alliance has never held a "gala".
Our event in Los Angeles is a casual buffet, which helps to introduce Irish and Irish American film-makers to those who can help them in the US film industry.
It has helped to promote Irish culture and film-making on a world stage and has led to many positive projects.
It is surprising that Mr O'Dowd is so negative about the event given that he previously approached me asking if his publication could be the media sponsor of the event.
The alliance does not "sell Ryder Cup executive boxes". What we do is bring senior Americans to Ireland to play golf with their Irish counterparts in an effort to develop business ties between the two countries. Again, this has led to several important investment projects and business relationships.
It is surprising that Mr O'Dowd - who has repeatedly stressed the importance of US investment - now criticises those who are actually working to bring it about.
Most disturbing is Mr O'Dowd's attack on the Mitchell Scholars.
He describes these young American students that we bring over to study in Ireland as "well-heeled", "elite" and "polished".
In fact, many of our scholars have come from disadvantaged backgrounds and some are the first generation in their families to go to university.
Mr O'Dowd has himself written that "the next generation of Irish and American leaders, whether in politics, economics or culture, need to be identified and nurtured".
That is precisely what the Mitchell Scholarship programme is doing - and why Mr O'Dowd has supported it up until now.
Universities throughout the island have told us that the programme has boosted their profile in the US and that there has been increased enrolment by American students as a result.
Indeed, the number of Americans studying in Ireland increased by 327 per cent between 1994 and 2004.
While the alliance would never claim all the credit for that, we have helped.
Because the demographics of Irish America are in decline, it is crucial to think outside the box. That's why we created the organisation and the Mitchell Scholarship programme.
We hope that scholars, when they return to the US, will maintain an interest and involvement in Ireland - and act as ambassadors for Ireland.
Fortunately, the vast majority of the people they meet are delighted they are here.
I hope they will take comfort in the fact that Mr O'Dowd seems to be alone in wishing they'd stayed at home. - Yours, etc,
TRINA VARGO,
President, US-Ireland Alliance,
Arlington,
Virginia,
USA.