A chara - Your Editorial of December 24th, "The Irish abroad", complements well RTÉ's Prime Time documentary on "Ireland's Forgotten Generation".
In particular you make the disturbing, though possibly still pertinent, point that despite the difficult circumstances prevailing in the Ireland of the 1950s and 1960s, "there remained a feeling of superiority towards those who left". Among a few senior politicians, there was, almost unbelievably, a view that those who left were letting the country down and should have been willing to remain in chill penury.
You do a great public service by giving the figure of £3.5 billion remitted by the emigrants of the 1950s and 1960s to this country and comparing it to the later structural and social funds from Europe. Many of those people could ill afford such monies, but their pietas prevailed, and the country survived.
Brian Cowen is one of our more able politicians, but our people now in need in the UK are old and cannot afford to wait for the gradual unfolding of necessary funds. Within 10 to 15 years, their difficulties will have ceased, and if we fail these people, who still cling so desperately to their sense of being Irish, it will not be to our credit. - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY JORDAN, Gilford Road, Dublin 4.
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Madam, - Well done to RTÉ's Prime Time for showing what dreadful conditions some of our fellow countrymen abroad have to live in.
I was shocked and saddened that thousands of Irish men who worked so hard, developing England and sending millions of pounds home, are left with absolutely nothing. It was a very moving programme, and we cannot imagine the hardship many of these men were enduring over Christmas. A chilling thought as we sat down for our Christmas dinners and opened our new presents.
I hope this will make Mr McCreevy sit up and realise this "lost generation" should not be forgotten next year. - Yours, etc.,
GAVIN LYONS, Moyglare, Co Kildare.