Madam, – A few years back, when still living in my native Dalkey, I found myself involved in a charitable operation. A homeless family were living in gruesome conditions in a hut in a park in the town.
I decided that, rather than raising funds for them through the accumulation of widows’ mites and similar, it would be speedier and more efficient to approach a selection of wealthy residents for larger individual donations.
Dalkey is, of course, home to many of Ireland’s famous, wealthy celebrities, business people, media folk and the like, and it was no trouble to compile a useful-seeming list.
I sent off my letters. Within 48 hours I received a reply from Hugh Leonard. It was an acerbic note, fulminating on the lifestyle of the indigent. And stapled to the note was his cheque. Slightly later I received a phone call from a secretary to Bono.
And then? Nothing. From the rest of the many people on my list I received neither note, nor cheque – nor, indeed, any answer at all.
The operation had to be aborted. I returned Mr Leonard’s cheque, declined help from Bono, and approached the matter by a different route.
I’m not sure what the message in all this is, but whatever it be, it surely speaks well of some, and not so well of others. – Yours, etc,