Sir, - As a great fan of your country, I should like to make the following comments: One of the main problems facing Ireland today is closing - as far as possible - the gap between the picture painted by the tourist industry and reality. We are led to believe, for example, that a typical traffic jam in Ireland is 50 sheep blocking a country road. The reality is more often like Donnybrook at 5 p.m.
Aer Lingus makes great use of the names and portraits of Ireland's great writers and identifies itself with its country's characteristic culture. However, on my latest trip from Amsterdam to Dublin in December, my experience was different. During the hour we had to wait for take-off, we were treated to Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and other American Christmassy gems, all in Hollywood arrangements, played over and over again at a solid forte.
Aer Lingus parades W.B. Yeats, but gives us Walt Disney. It hints at leprechauns in the glen, but gives us Rudolph. May I suggest that this is not what most people have in mind when they head for Ireland?
The pubs in your country, so charming and inviting on the outside and supposedly places where one can have a quiet pint and a chat with friends are, in fact, for the most part places infested with music from hell.
I read somewhere that you are aiming to attract six million tourists a year. Considering all the above, I think the Irish are busy trying to kill the goose. - Yours, etc.,
J.M. Bobak, Valeriusstraat 132, Amsterdam.