Sir, - On reading your Mr Dervan's review of the thoroughly enjoyable performance, by Our Lady's Choral Society, of Mendelssohn's Elijah, at the National Concert Halt (May 12th), I had a great idea.
If all the musician folk who scrape, blow, sing, dance, and generally disport themselves throughout the year, for the benefit of themselves and their audience, were each to put one penny into a "Make Michael Dervan Happy Fund" - why this could purchase a plane ticket to Northeast Lapland wherein lies the Tree of Happiness.
Mr D. could then fly out, eat one leaf from this, and wing his way swiftly back to Reviewing Land, fully cured of the colicky ague, and now finally enabled to emit novel phrases like "I really enjoyed that concert", "Miss X sang most delightfully", etc.
The magic of music could once again be referred to, in your columns, and the suspicion that, on Mr Dervan's arrival in Heaven, his first call would be to the Complaints Dept would be seen as just another nasty rumour. - Yours, etc.,
Meadow Grove,
Dundrum,
Dublin 16.