Sir, - I unfortunately gave my number one vote to Mrs Mary McAleese. Within days of being inaugurated as President of Ireland, she announced that she would not be employing a full-time adviser as her predecessor, Mary Robinson, had done. Mrs McAleese informed us that she would employ the services of a part-time adviser, a Ms Gleeson.
This decision, together with her inaction and questionable ventures, has given rise to the public perception that this country is now stuck with a part-time President.
It appears that the President agreed earlier with the RDS to present the Aga Khan Trophy as all of her predecessors had done since the establishment of the office of President. Now we learn that the President will not be even present in the RDS to fulfil this public duty; instead she has decided to attend an Irish language course in Donegal. This capricious and vacillating whim could hardly occur had a full-time adviser been at hand.
What is even more staggering is the manifestation of the paucity of imagination and elementary vision. The use of a car or a helicopter would allow the President to fulfil her duty in the RDS and to return to Donegal, missing at most a day of her language tuition which could easily be recouped.
Question: What is the Irish for "Your dinner is in the oven in the Aras?
Answer: "Ta an Aga Khan insan Aga Kooker insan Aras". - Yours, etc., Micheal O Nuallain,
Monkstown, Co Dublin.