Despite the confidence with which Brian McDonald (December 15) states that helmet use should be encouraged, there is little firm evidence that mandatory helmet laws do anything to increase safety levels for cyclists.

I must ask this question. Are we in this country being taken for a ride by the oil companies?

Those of us who are lucky enough to gather with our families at Christmas are truly wealthy.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly says “the Government has promised that a plebiscite would have to be held if both Houses of the Oireachtas wanted to privatise Irish Water”. 

I hope many media outlets will show some maturity and publish the presentation the Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Maguire, gave to the Nobel Summit in recent weesk.

As a weekly traveller on the Cork-Heathrow route, I am alarmed at the implications, for Cork, should the Aer Lingus-Heathrow slots fall into the hands of IAG.

Gordon Cunningham (Letters, December 13) is correct in pointing out that no one knows when Jesus was born and that the Christian choice of December 25 may well derive from the pagan Roman celebration of the Sun.

Re Gaza, I am mindful of the authoritative words of John Ging, the UNWRA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) representative.

CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, who exposed the CIA’s torture programme, is serving a 30-month prison sentence.

It’s that time of year for good cheer; goodwill to all men and, oh, begrudgery on behalf of the non-believing community. Just in case we were too optimistic, Gordon Cunningham (Letters, December 12) sought to put a damper on proceedings.