Madam, - In early January you published an article by your occasional Northern columnist David Adams, describing life in Northern Ireland under the "peace process". Yes, it is now a better life than ten years ago with the fear of nightly bombings absent. Belfast is no longer a ghost town at night. It has new restaurants, lively pubs and a wide choice of entertainment. Yet, it is an uneasy peace. Crime is rampant, paramilitary vigilantes have a stranglehold on many areas and protection rackets and smuggling are endemic.
An acceptable level of lawlessness is tolerated for the sake of the peace process. David Adams considered this a dangerous portent for the future of both Northern Ireland and the Republic. Somewhat surprisingly, this article brought forth no response in your columns.
Is it not ironic that it took five brave sisters in Belfast to confront the IRA bully-boys and create near panic in the hierarchy of Sinn Féin? The confusion among the ranks of the masters of obfuscation was perhaps typified in their arrogant proposal to the sisters: "Do you want us to shoot them"? That some of our own politicians were horrified and surprised at this barbarous offer merely indicates the paucity of their knowledge of life in the North under the so-called "protectors" of the nationalist population.
Following the McCartney sisters' appearance on RTÉ radio a listener rang in to say that he had learned more about life in Northern Ireland today in 50 minutes from these ladies than from politicians and pundits in the past 10 years. I trust Vincent Browne was also listening; if not, he should obtain a transcript of the programme from RTÉ. - Yours, etc.,
J.P. MCCANN, Mapas Avenue, Dalkey, Co Dublin.