Sir, - I write as a respectable young Galway woman, in relation to your headline "Galway's `dreadful' girls" (July 25th).
Firstly, it is not just Galway girls who frequent these clubs. As everyone knows, Galway is a vibrant city and is extremely popular with tourists, both from home and abroad. The generalisation is thus unfounded.
Secondly, I would like to meet these "respectable young men" Judge Garavan refers to. This too is a generalisation as these men are few and far between. By the time some of them reach the nightclubs, they are barely able to remember their own names.
I agree with Judge Garavan's point that the ordinary, respectable citizens of Galway are concerned about hooliganism and mayhem. Naturally, everyone likes to have a trouble-free night. However, I take great offence at the generalisation that "you won't find respectable people out at all hours. It's uncivilised and a lot of them just won't go out". For someone of Judge Garavan's stature, this is a very naive comment to make. He must have lead a very sheltered life. - Yours, etc.,
Audrey McCormack, Mervue, Galway.