Sir, - The recent death of Lady Wicklow revived a sweet memory of a very interesting lecture by her on a summer evening in the 1950s. I cycled from Mount Merrion to the vocational school in Dundrum to hear her speak. She had returned from a holiday in India, a trip described and fully illustrated on slides. She was in top form.
Her introduction to the lecture was memorable and amusing. Pandit Nehru, she explained, had been on a visit to Ireland. He had addressed the Dail and afterwards expressed a wish to meet the women deputies! Obviously, in contrast to India, he had not seen any in the House. An embarrassed Mr de Valera sent a messenger to find one, and fortunately Senator Lady Wicklow was there. Subsequently she accepted Pandit Nehru's invitation to visit India.
Happily, 20 years later the Women's Political Association was represented at a Congress of the International Alliance of women in New Delhi, and Lady Wicklow lived to see greater changes in recent years. - Yours, etc.,
Kilcroney,
Co. Wicklow