Sir, - Revisionism frightens me - usually because it involves a departure from reality. Conor Hickey (letters page, December 6th) fears that some people do not want to lose the romantic, heroic image that they have of Michael Collins. In this instance, the romantic nature of the image is a matter of conjecture, but Collins's heroism is not.
The challenge of the early part of this century was to free Ireland.
The sad reality of that time was that violence was necessary to bring the British to the realisation that Ireland would no longer tolerate British rule. To suggest otherwise would be to contradict the evidence and, in the context of those times, would be naive in the extreme. Collins recognised this, and was prepared to take the terrible and ruthless but necessary actions.
I presume that Conor Hickey voted, as I did, in the referendum this month. That we could do so is possible only because Collins and those who fought with him made terrifying sacrifices. I have no romantic view of Collins or of what he did, but to me and to many others, he will always be a hero.
Terrible times certainly, but necessary and heroic. Have people become afraid of that because afterwards a small minority falsely claimed lineage from great men? - Yours, etc.,
Foxfield Avenue, Raheny, Dublin 5.
P.S. The challenge of the current times is to find a relationship between the nationalist and unionist peoples of this island that allows both peoples their full identity, traditions and culture. Violence from any source serves only to retard that process. Indeed, the film shows that Collins fully understood the narrow limitations of violence.