Sir, – Although I did not vote for Michael D Higgins I heartily congratulate him on his re-election as well as on what has been deemed by consensus to have been a particularly successful first term as president.
On the cusp of the second term in office, it might be appropriate to at this juncture to reflect on, and acknowledge the contribution of Sabina Higgins during the first term. The demands of the office of the presidency are no less onerous for the partner of the president as for the president himself. In my view she has conducted herself with charm, panache and humour and was equally responsible for the warm and inclusive tone which pervaded the Áras during the initial period in office.
I wish them both well in the seven years ahead. – Yours, etc,
FRANK WALSH,
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Co Wexford.
Sir, – One had to be impressed by the desire of the defeated presidential candidates to serve our country, to give our citizens more opportunity to grow and develop and in one case to bring the marginalised back in from the cold.
Of course, they may have more scope to realise these lofty visions outside of the Áras and I look forward to seeing how their undoubted passion manifests itself in their efforts at standing up for ideals, improving the lots of others and striking out against injustices. – Yours, etc,
REAMONN O’LUAN,
Dublin 14.
A chara, – With Peter Casey receiving 23 per cent of first preference votes in the presidential election, it is time Ireland faced up to a serious issue. We have patted ourselves on the back for rebuffing alt-right infiltrators without understanding that they already live among us – they are us.
Whether Peter Casey wilfully or ignorantly increased his vote ten-fold with ill-judged and ill-informed statements is not the problem. The problem is the speed with which our fellow citizens bought in to the voice of prejudice against an indigenous ethnic minority.
Those of us who understand the devastating consequences of discrimination and intolerance against Travellers should stand up and be counted. This racism is a problem of the settled community and it is we who should be doing something about it. – Is mise
ORLA O’NEILL,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – After a generally featureless and anaemic presidential campaign and with the certainty of the result a longtime foregone conclusion, it was understandable that a feverish media effort was made to bring some drama and colour to post-election dissection and interpretation.
While there was commendable incisive analysis, sound evaluation and rational deductions presented, I suggest there was disproportionate significance and too “radical” a reading given to the, no more than interesting, performance of Peter Casey. After all, he got less than a quarter of first preference votes in a uncompetitive contest. We are not a racist people and neither are we becoming a nation of “wannabe” Trump supporters, as some of the more extreme comment would lead us to believe.
Nevertheless, there are some disagreeable racist indicators and Trump-like attitudes evident, that if left unchecked, will degrade our society such that the extreme comments pertaining to this election will make for logical conclusions at the next presidential election. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny.
Sir, – Surely in the next presidential campaign it should be mandatory that every candidate should at least be a tax resident of this country. This should be especially true for a candidate like Peter Casey who chooses to lecture us on how we squander our tax revenue on Travellers and other welfare recipients while not fully contributing to the pot himself.
Maybe Mr Casey or other future candidates could then tackle where so much of our hard-earned money disappears – white-collar fraud and tax evasion in Ireland. But then again, attacking the top rather than the bottom seems to be too “brave” a strategy for courageous populists everywhere. – Yours, etc,
JOHN COTTER,
Waterford.
Sir, – We live in a world and a country facing numerous unprecedented environmental, social and economic challenges, one of which is the growing inequality between rich and poor. Why do people feel they are rebelling against the establishment by voting for people who blame those who are the among the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society? – Yours etc,
NICHOLAS MCMURRY,
Cork.
Sir, – At last a breath of fresh air and realism. Peter Casey has broken a nonsensical taboo. There should be no unmentionable topics in Irish life. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT NORTON,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – The following is a stanza from One's Own Story, written years ago by Michael D Higgins: "But if the truth be told, our own story brightens in the light of other stories, older stories that glimmer, lost in a long tail of time". – Yours, etc,
MATTIE LENNON,
Co Wicklow.