Sir, - I do not accept that the Irish suffer the same "disadvantage, intolerance and resentment as other minorities" in Britain, and I don't believe the evidence cited by Luke Holland (London Letter, June 11th) supports the complaint either.
The thousands of us who have returned to Ireland with happy and rewarding experiences of working in Britain don't prove a lot, one way or the other, but it certainly doesn't surprise me that the Irish themselves are "the last to realise their minority status".
The sociological studies cited by Mr Holland also show something he doesn't mention: the lower than average educational attainment of the older Irish emigrant group. Could that be why they are less likely to have jobs, good housing, and a car?
Of course, poverty and disadvantage are serious problems for too many Irish people in Britain - and here too. But to attribute this to anything like racism shows ignorance of the reality of life for black and Asian people in Britain. It also contributes to a fake "victim culture" that seeks to assign blame for problems instead of evolving policies to solve them. - Yours, etc., Patrick Kinsella,
School of Communications, Dublin City University, Dublin 9