During the so-called Celtic Tiger years, we had the Government, the banks, the ESRI and other groups helping to stoke the fire that led us into the financial ruin we are now in.

Back in the glorious 60s days of beautiful, magical pop music, a band whose members did not play their own instruments would have been treated with contempt and laughed into oblivion.

I continue to be surprised at the contributions of some of your columnists on the subject of women’s rights, usually to the theme that we are witnessing a journey to rights, and how the journey has just begun.

It was good to read Victoria White’s article challenging us as a society to look again at the fallacy of Charlie McCreevy’s tax individualisation policy (Opinion, Aug 22).

Being worried about the recent poll of students which reports that only 37.5% say they believe in God, I decided to contact God since He is the focus of the survey, and it is only fair that He be given an opportunity to respond.

Vincent Browne is to be admired for his new programme Challenging God. After all no one has ever proved a god exists.

The plight of Michaela McCollum and Melissa Reid in Peru should be a very serious lesson to everybody that any involvement in drugs could have far-reaching consequences.

The resolution of the outcome of the recent Minor All Ireland Hurling semi-final between Limerick and Galway trundles on through a convoluted appeals system, which is now in the middle of its third phase.

I wish to respond to the Muslim women’s demand for a full apology and financial donation to a charity for not being allowed to publicly pray, as reported in the Irish Examiner (Aug 23).

According to recently declassified CIA documents and interviews with former intelligence officials like retired Air Force Col Rick Francona, the US had firm evidence of Iraqi chemical attacks beginning in 1983.