Madam, - May I appeal to the Irish airport authorities to consider introducing "silent airports" at Dublin and Cork? Instead of announcing the departures of various flights on the public address system, oblige travellers to rely on the screens alone for the relevant information. It's not difficult. You arrive at the airport. You know when your flight is due to depart. You check the screen and it tells you which gate to go to and if there is any delay. Simple. If you can't manage that, you shouldn't really be left out of the house in the first place.
This would eliminate the daily assault on the English language perpetrated by announcers at both airports. I have yet to negotiate either without hearing that "this is the last and final boarding call for passenger X". This is then repeated at least half a dozen times followed by: "This is the very last and very final boarding call for passenger X". This again is usually repeated several times. At this stage, one is sorely tempted to dull the pain in one's ear by fleeing to the bar for strong drink where, presumably, one would find passenger X happily insensible to the urgent pleas that he concern himself with the reason why he came to the airport in the first place. A missed flight and he might not be so careless in future.
I once remonstrated with a young male who was making such grating utterances. I pointed out that not only was the statement tautologous, but by definition it did not require repetition. His response, unlike his announcement, at least had the merit of pithiness. - Yours, etc,
JOHN FINN, Ballyadam, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork.