Madam, – Frank McNally’s Irishman’s Diary on St Dympna (May 15th) was a delight to read. The relaxed handling of a religious topic (a saint’s life on the very feast-day of that saint), the skilful forging of connections between Ireland and the continent, the sympathetic treatment of the theme of mental illness all made for a piece that was instructive, highly readable and uplifting, the kind of piece that I’d like to have written myself. – Yours, etc,