Sir, - Lo and behold, finally a positive statement about my late grand- uncle, John Charles (Marjorie Quirke, April 7th). In past weeks there have some strong articles written about the man. A lot of the content has dealt with how harsh and difficult he was to deal with. I think it is important to remember that he was a man of "his time", and times have changed. Not a lot has been mentioned about his work with the hospitals and schools around Dublin during those times, notably St John of God's, my old school, Blackrock College, and a primary school in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, poignantly named after him.
I have just arrived home to Ireland from an extensive stay in the United States and have found Ireland to be presently a very prosperous place. I am sure this is what John Charles must have envisaged while taking an extensive role in the draft of our 1937 Constitution. I await Mr John Cooney's biography of John Charles with scepticism. - Yours, etc.
Eugene Charles
McQuaid, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.