Sir, – Frank McNally's piece on his old school friend was the first thing I read on Saturday at 8am (An Irishman's Diary, October 30th).
With a fresh head it struck me as a powerful piece of writing – and history. The sadness, yearning and awkwardness of his school friend’s life was perfectly captured without any maudlin by the writer. It was also a good window to the not so distant past of a very different, and harder life for people in general on the island. Thanks Frank. – Yours, etc,
SIMON BLAKE,
Munich, Germany.