Sir, – In her sketch (“Is enthusiasm for wearing the poppy starting to wilt?”, November 16th) Miriam Lord takes a swipe what she calls poppy mania across the water. She then continues to have a pop at Senators Frankie Feighan and Neale Richmond for wearing the emblem here. It takes courage for both to do this and they are quite entitled to remember the Irish war dead.
There was a time here during the violent IRA campaign when poppies could not be sold or even worn in this Republic. I might recall one occasion in the same Senate . After the 1987 horrendous act when IRA murdered mostly elderly people in the Enniskillen massacre, Senator John Robb wore a poppy in the senate and offered to the then Cathaoirleach Senator Sean Fallon, Fianna Fáil. The latter graciously accepted it and placed it on his lapel. Might I suggest that the redoubtable Miriam Lord might find other things to poke fun at. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN CAFFERTY,
Ballina, Co Mayo.