Madam, – As I’m not overly fond of Mondays, I get some comfort from reading Ann Marie Hourihane’s column (Opinion, The Irish Times) which is always witty and apposite. I particularly got a kick out of reading her “Occasional smokers keeping hazy illusion of fun alive” (Opinion, November 1st). Consequently, I feel she doesn’t deserve to be verbally lashed and burnt at the stake for writing an article which is heavy with irony and devoid of nicotine (Letters, November 2nd and 3rd). However, it seems there is no smoke without fury. – Yours, etc,