Sir, - I've finally thrown in the towel. The escalation in Irish cinema audiences munching popcorn, ringing mobiles (usually musical for some reason), slurping minerals and conversing without cease on life, the universe and sometimes, but not always, the flickering disturbance on the large white thing in front of them has finally turned me away from going to the cinema.
Hugh Linehan's excellent article some time ago has, unfortunately, done nothing to stem this tide and now we have audiences all too comfortable with treating public cinemas like their own sitting rooms and the screen like their own television set. Surely Irish cinema managers have it in their power to instil a new tradition where this disruptive behaviour just would not be acceptable. If they ever do, alas, it will be in my absence.
Pardon me while I make my DVD selection for this evening's viewing pleasure. - Yours, etc.,
Miriam Delahunt, Cabra, Dublin 7.