Sir, - Objecting for the sake of objecting has become a way of life here. One can only be baffled by the criticism of Archbishop Connell's selection by the Pope for the College of Cardinals.
There are facts that require attention. Dublin is the Capital of the Republic. Dublin has the largest population in Ireland. It is a capital city of the European Union. It used to be argued that the island was politically divided, and there was a need, therefore, to demonstrate that the island's main religion was not partitioned. To emphasise this, there was a duty to give Armagh the dignity of a resident cardinal. It could be argued that the presence of a cardinal in Armagh was in keeping with our territorial claim to what Collins called "north-east Ulster".
But. rightly or wrongly, this claim is gone and Article 3 of the Constitution enshrines the desire to a united Ireland achieved "in harmony and friendship". Hence Armagh's most potent claim to a cardinal is gone.
I have no doubt that Archbishop Connell will be a distinguished cardinal. On another level, Belvedere College will be delighted, as are all old boys such as myself.
Just stop all the narking about our new cardinal, a Dubliner from Phibsboro. - Yours, etc.
Brian Quinn, Kincora Grove, Dublin 3.