I read with disbelief that Penneys’ stores are to sell T-shirts for €6 as a fundraiser for the ISPCC.

As a volunteer director on the board of my credit union for 12 years, I am responding to Mary Shanahan (Letters, Oct 4) who wrote of a Credit Union system that has lost its values. I’d like to reassure Mary that the reality is different.

The centralised system in this country has reduced down most civilising services which ensure a united community ie, post office, Garda stations, hospitals, schools, and then these communities are declared unviable.

I can confidently say that Oct 17 will come and go, and one will barely register a murmur.

I read in your business section (Irish Examiner, Oct 10) how the Central Bank lost communication to a high priority server.

I see that the World Bank is again blaming Israel for hampering the development of the Palestinian West Bank economy by holding on to 61% of mostly empty West Bank territory.

I’m awaiting, with bated breath, the publication of the names of those HSE/hospitals.

I want to heartily agree with the sentiments of Joe Gill (Irish Examiner, Oct 9) when he decries the pernicious knocking of everything happening in this country, as reflected in so much media commentary on the part of hosts and guests alike.

In the past week where teen suicides and youth mental health entered the public sphere again, the use of language by religious and ordinary citizens surrounding any type of death is baffling me.

The news that ash dieback is spreading was sadly expected. Recently it was found in a native, homegrown ash tree, growing in a hedge, but near the first found outbreak, which was on imported ash trees.