Robin Bury
Killiney, Co Dublin
SHELTERED ARTISTS: Well may Robert Ballagh sing the praises of Haughey for having introduced the tax exemption for artists. Not having to pay tax revenue towards the creation of modern Ireland seems to have given Ballagh a perverted pleasure. But then Haughey, too, felt he was above making such contributions.
William O’Reilly
Dundrum, Dublin
MISTAKEN IDENTITY: In all that has been written about Haughey, much use has been made of Othello’s words: “I did the state some service.” This linked Haughey with one of Shakespeare’s great tragic heroes, a man duped into murdering his innocent wife before committing suicide — a totally inappropriate association. The same play gives us Iago, arguably Shakespeare’s greatest villain and a man whose CV could