Sir, - John O'Shea (Opinion, December 28th) and Eoin Dillon (January 8th) would agree that aid to the poor in Rwanda and the Congo is an urgent priority. Where they disagree is on whether it is better to channel it through the relevant Government or through voluntary agencies.
Every government has its own priorities and where there are wars in progress aid to the poor is usually low on the list. It is generally agreed that during our own Famine in the 1840s the British Government treated our poor with inadequate energy. Is Mr Dillon suggesting that Irish famine aid should have been channelled through such a Government? I think not. - Yours, etc.,
James Casey, Granitefield, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.