Sir, - John Loesberg (December 23rd) was indeed correct in calling George Bernard Shaw's expressed desire at the New Year of 1898 to look to the condition of Ireland in 1998 as "apt". But that aptness in looking to the future should in no way come at the expense of a meaningful discussion and commemoration of the events surrounding 1798 and the United Irishmen. If anything, the venom expressed by some in the Catholic Hierarchy towards President McAleese's decision to take Communion in the Anglican Church and likewise the virulent irredentism of all too many elements, both unionist and nationalist, in Northern Ireland underscores the need for reflection upon what remains to be done in creating a policy on this island that genuinely encompasses "Catholic, Protestant and dissenter". That heroic vision of the United Irishmen is still relevant to peace and harmony in the present day. - Yours, etc.,Dr. Francis Costello,West Roxbury,Massachusetts, USA.