Madam, - The attendance of the LE Eithne and Asgard II at the Trafalgar bicentenary should be welcomed and celebrated, not criticised and sniped at.
In 1805, when this naval engagement took place, over a third of Nelson's serving sailors were of Irish origin. Indeed, the captain of the 74-gun Bellerophon, the ship that received Napoleon to sign his surrender, was an Irishman.
I think it is time now to recognise of Irish feats of greatness, no matter the circumstances under which they occurred. The Irish defeat of Napoleon at Trafalgar is a feat of greatness, so why not send our navy of today to salute this?
After all, even the French attended. - Yours, etc,
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KENNETH MARSDEN, Newmarket Square, Dublin 8.