On the 31st of January this year, thirty years will have passed since a 15-year-old girl called Anne Lovett was found semi-conscious, bleeding and suffering from exposure in a Grotto to the Virgin Mary in the small town of Granard in County Longford.

While all and sundry are weighing in with alarm and disgust at the disclosure by Irish Water that it paid €50m to date on consultant fees — is it not worth noting that those so commenting on the issue are in the main virtually silent on the fact that a similar sum is expended annually on the free legal aid scheme?

John Keogh rightly condemns the excesses of practising Christians throughout the centuries but spoils it all by bemoaning the fact that ‘Nero didn’t throw enough of them to the lions’ (Letters, Jan 11).

I read with interest Alison O’Connor’s piece (Opinion, Jan 10), on Lucinda Creighton’s new public face. One has to agree the emergence of a new political party is somewhat passé after the bailout.

Having worked as an environmental consultant for nearly 40 years and in as many countries, and from time to time involved with the development and implementation of community drinking water systems, I am appalled at the lack of accountability as regards what Irish Water received by way of consultancy fees.

George Bernard Shaw said “Ireland is the only open-air asylum in Western Europe being run by the inmates”.

John Allen’s suggestion that the GAA introduce black cards in hurling (Irish Examiner, Jan 12) should be resisted.

Seventy years ago, Jean Gireaudoux wrote:

The words ‘we the people’ are the foundation of democracy.

Just because your columnist Gerard Howlin (Opinion, Jan 8) is not clear about what the Government is trying to do with Limerick City of Culture does not mean that they aren’t.