Sir, - Congratulations to Mary O'Brien (An Irishwoman's Diary, January 20th) on a lovely free-flowing "essay". People in Leitrim must have been delighted to read it.
Yes, we learned off by heart Padraig Colum's poems The Old Woman of the Roads and The Blind Harper, to name just a couple, in fourth class. That class in those far-off days was way ahead of the sixth class of today. In those days, fourth class was sufficient to get you a pass to board the liner at Queenstown bound for America.
The child in fourth class today knows all about Pokemon, the Spice Girls, the computer and the film stars. But he knows damn all about poetry and literature. Who is to blame? Not the child but those who lifted the child out of the cradle and the system generally. Nil smacht ar an dtinntean; nil smacht ar an scoil; no nil smacht sa tsraidbhaile. Is truaighbheileach an sceal e. That Saturday was a raw, wet day and a raw, wet night. God Bless The Irish Times. . It was nice to sit near the fire, turn off the bloody box in the corner, and read in peace and happiness. - Is mise,
PAdraig CaomhAnach, Tra Li, Co Ciarrai.