Cuireann An Phoblacht fáilte roimh litreacha ónár léitheoirí. Scríobh i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla, 200 focal ar a méid. Déantar giorrú ar litreachta más gá. Cuir do litir chuig [email protected]
An Phoblacht welcomes readers’ letters. Write in Irish or English, 200 words maximum. Letters may be edited for brevity. Send your letters to [email protected]. No attachments please

Nelson Inquiry

There is some room for optimism as the Rosemary Nelson inquiry begins. With chilling similarities to the murder of Pat Finucane, Rosemary was killed by a car bomb, by a regime that could not tolerate her pursuit of truth, justice and basic human rights.
However, we have seen Brit inquiries before, and so this should be factored into the equation. Will this be akin to the Bloody Sunday or other similar farces. The same people who presided over enquiries of other miscarriages of justice are many of the same who will there yet for this inquiry and so some scepticism  is quite warranted. Collusion, discrimination, harassment and bullying, and murder have been the stock-in-trade of the unionist/loyalist parties, the RUC/PSNI, UDR/RIR the British government and the loyalist murder gangs.
Can truth emerge out of this rogue’s gallery of miscreants? Can the bloodthirsty leopard change its spots. Time will give us the answer to that enquiry forthwith.
Beir Bua,
Steve McWilliams,
Minot,
ND 58701 USA

Pillar pilloried

I’M not sure if your true blue Dubs columnist Matt Treacy will focus on the hooligan element in Gaelic football – by which I mean the Dublin and Meath players at the weekend – but I hope he does and a little more strongly than the Dubs manager, Paul ‘Pillar’ Caffrey.
After Sunday’s mass brawl which saw five sendings off – three of them his players – the Dublin manager’s response was a lame: “We’ll take it on the chin and move on.”
Move on?!!!!  Isn’t Paul Caffrey still a garda? Would he say that to a gang of bowsies having a punch-up on O’Connell Street on Sunday night instead of in Parnell Park? Would Garda Caffrey just say: “Let’s move on.” I hope he’d have them arrested or at least cooling off in the Bridewell overnight.
When young people are often being blamed for anti-social behaviour and unwarranted violence, shouldn’t sporting ‘heroes’ be showing a better example? And if they can’t – or they won’t – then their managements should make an example of them.
The Dubs should be ashamed of themselves.
MARTIN JACKSON,
Naas,
County Kildare

TD’s reference for a rapist

JUST what was Labour Party Cork TD Kathleen Lynch thinking of when she gave a court reference for a man jailed on Friday for 13 years for the rape of the two teenage sisters of his former girlfriend?
The former Lord Mayor of Cork, John Murray, also wrote a letter on behalf of the rapist’s family.
Deputy Lynch has since issued a statement insisting that although she doesn’t know Trevor Casey, the rapist, she does know his parents as “good and decent people”, adding it would have been cowardly of her to refuse to write a letter to that effect having been asked by his mother to do so. She doesn’t even know the man! The mind boggles.
One of the victims has said Deputy Lynch should be ashamed of herself.
Kathleen Lynch is Labour’s spokesperson on Equality. I think she should at least resign that post.
CAROL HAYES,
Stoneybatter,
Dublin 7