Sir, – One becomes a member of Dáil Éireann by contesting an election for that position. Nobody appoints themselves or is appointed by others as a TD to represent their area.
We live in a democracy, thankfully, and it is open to any citizen, regardless of occupation, to put their name before the people to serve as a public representative. This requires a little courage and much hard work. For rural TDs representing sparsely populated areas along the western seaboard, remote from Dublin, the amount of travel alone involved must be exhausting.
If teachers are over-represented in Dáil Éireann, it is hardly the fault of the teachers. It may in fact demonstrate a penchant for hard work among this cohort. – Yours, etc,
PJ McDERMOTT,
The 100 best Irish books of the 21st century: No 100 to No 51
Gerry Thornley: Jack Crowley’s patience rewarded as Ireland go in search of Rome revival against Italy
An Irish Diary on memorable gigs from John Denver in the RDS to Bruce Springsteen in Slane
Catherine Fulvio’s St Patrick’s Way review: Glorified advertorial is a blizzard of bland. It’s a disservice to the celebrity chef
Westport,
Co Mayo.
Sir, – Further to your article “‘Would you employ a teacher to run the Central Bank?’: Readers deeply divided on Michael O’Leary’s remarks” (News, November 11th), Philip Lane, Patrick Honohan, Mario Draghi, Mervyn King, Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke are a few examples. – Yours, etc,
ÉAMONN CONLON,
Shankill,
Dublin 18.
