Warm greetings from the North Pole to you and to all your dear readers! Santa has asked if you would remind all the boys and girls to post their Christmas letters to him as soon as possible.

Ireland needs to sharpen its act in relation to the EU.

I read with interest the piece by Caroline Delaney on Dec 3 about accents. It has grated on my ear for a long time now how the vowel ‘o’ has disappeared from certain ways of speaking in Ireland, especially on RTÉ.

Why is it that a few of us are compelled to put pen to paper? Is it that the rest of Ireland has lost all hope, or that the fluoride in the water has made them docile?

By all accounts Fr Alex Reid was a decent human being and represented his church as it should be represented.

I am astounded at the cruelty of the proposed ESB strike on Dec 16. Have these people not considered the consequences of their actions?

As far as the crisis in the global economy goes, Pope Francis has been a breath of fresh air.

As we enter the business end of the Heineken Cup, I have to admit confidence in the probability of Munster winning in 2014 seems remote. Yet, year in year out, there is always hope and none more so than this year.

Union leader Brendan Ogle is well known for inflaming situations that would otherwise resolve themselves. We all remember the acrimony when he brought the country’s trains to a standstill.

Can I please take a moment of your time to congratulate Cork City Council on recent works being done in the city.