Sir, - Portlaoise probably has the unhappy distinction of being the most mispronounced town in Ireland - at least on the public airwaves. Now that we are into New Year resolution time, may I remind the director of AA RoadWatch, the news editors of RTE radio and television, and the PR people in Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann, that the correct pronunciation of the county town of Laois is Portlaoise, with the final syllable a clear-sounding "eh'. It has all to do with the genitive case as perfected by our Gaelic ancestors.
On the strength of a recent visit to Heuston Station, whoever is in charge of its arrivals/ departures monitor, which listed `Portlaois", must also be included in the above exhortation. - Yours, etc.,
Aidan O'Hanlon, Herbert Road, Dublin 4.