On March 27, the Cobh News, a local newsletter, published an article by John Jefferies about the 1924 pier shooting in Cobh: unarmed British soldiers and Irish civilians were machine-gunned.

The situation in the Ukraine today has frightening parallels with the Europe of the late 1930s.

I was horrified to read about the thousands of people slowly starving to death in Yarmouk Camp in Syria, (Irish Examiner, March 1).

The ongoing controversy concerning charities brings to mind another form of charity — that dispensed by local and national government to the party faithful.

Given the strains within the Irish Catholic Church, some form of breakaway of significant proportions cannot be ruled out.

With reference to Shane Minogue’s letter (Apr 17), I think it is high time that mis-statements regarding export of “food” during the Great Famine were challenged.

In his submission to the Oireachtas hearings Dr Simon Mills describes the draft wording of the proposed Termination of Pregnancy Bill as a “first stab”.

Why is that every time it’s suggested a wealth tax should be introduced to help our dire economic situation and help alleviate the pressure on the less well off, we are told it can’t be done?

Having read the Referendum Commissioner’s Independent Guide, I consider this referendum a waste of time and money.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore is to be commended for immediately launching an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of Irish charity funds in Uganda.

With child-benefit reform being discussed, perhaps it’s time to restrict the number of children per family for whom benefit is paid, based on the needs of the society.

It is grotesquely hilarious to witness the Haughey family demanding and receiving an apology from the estate agents Savills because the agency mistakenly claimed that Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi and Margaret Thatcher had visited the former Taoiseach’s home in Kinsealy.

For 15 years we listened to politicians refusing to comment on those under investigation by the Mahon Tribunal on the grounds that such comment could undermine the work of the tribunal.

It is an absolute certainty that if a Mahon Tribunal-like report were published in any self-respecting, functional democracy there would have been immediate arrests and police investigations.

Writing from Qatar, Billy McEllligott (Letters, Mar 14) appears to be out of touch with events on the ground in Ireland, particularly in relation to the public mood of the electorate and who they wish to be governed by.

In her staunch support for Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin as a politician of some substance, Terry Prone made claims regarding his ard fheis speech that simply do not stand up (Opinion, March 5).

I’ve followed and read the works of your columnist Matt Cooper for years, through newspaper articles and books, and have done so for nearly as long as I have participated in the development and growth of the Sinn Féin party.

In her recent sermon-like article (Irish Examiner, Feb 6) Terry Prone castigated the Irish people for what she describes as their licensed envy and resentment against those perceived to be insulated against the current recession.

Who would have thought that a government which presented itself as the saviours of the Irish people in Feb 2011, would find itself running away from the Irish people in Feb 2012?

David Becan is only partially right when he warns readers to stop waiting for the messiah because he’s not coming (Letters, Jan 26).

YOUR columnist Fergus Finlay wonders what all the fuss is about asking pensioners to pay a “fair” tax (Opinion, Jan 10).

THERE’S nothing like an election to bring out people screaming about the past and warning others not to forget it.

IT was recently reported that the number of patients waiting on trollies in our nation’s A&E departments had reached a record high.

IF I had a hat, I would take it off for your columnist Fergus Finlay, for his excellent article (Opinion, August 30) and how he related ruling class attitudes during the 19th century Great Hunger to some of the laissez-faire ones today.

IN his letter (July 19), John McKeever argues for the maintenance of the confessional seal and against the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse.

CONGRATULATIONS on your coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s history-making visit.

MAY I make two points in response to Jeremie Pageot (Dec 13) who is anxious to defend his national delicacy, foie gras.

PLEASE allow me to welcome our new Minister for Finance, Olli Rehn, to the country. His brief, no-nonsense ‘it is appropriate’ response to the forthcoming €6bn budget cut is a refreshing change from the endless turning of (blind) corners.

SENATOR Donie Cassidy said last week it was important that TDs and senators had a reasonable income to ensure the profession continued to attract capable people.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan now says the upcoming budget and economic plan “represents one step back for the country after it has taken many steps forward”.

IN 1992 Galileo was welcomed back into the fold of the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II and last week Homer Simpson was ‘converted’ to the faith.

THE fuss over Ivor Callely’s expenses made my blood boil.

I THINK someone should remind Brendan Cafferty (Letters, July 2) that the Dublin and Monaghan bombing atrocities happened not centuries ago, but 36 years ago.

SO your columnist Stephen King (June 9) couldn’t bring himself to condemn Israel’s latest acts of murder, kidnapping and piracy.

NOW that many Irish people are having difficulty acquiring passports, do you think they should start queuing instead at the Israeli embassy for a little diplomatic assistance?

IT is an absurdity to promote abortion in the name of human rights when abortion is by definition a denial of the rights of human life before birth.

I HAVE no wish to enter into a protracted correspondence with any individual over the issue of unpaid leave in the public service, but I feel I owe James McGrath the courtesy of a reply to his polemic (Letters, December 14).

FIANNA Fáil backbenchers are wonderful for showing the way and increasing the pressure on those public service leeches and their leaders who have created the economic crisis.

I WISH to express my disappointment at the first section of your editorial (‘Taoiseach must stick to his guns’, December 4) and also your failure to call for patience and calm at a crucial time in our country’s history.

FINE Gael leader Enda Kenny is correct to call for the abolition of Seanad Eireann.

IT must be difficult for small children to grasp the concept of something like swine flu.

WOULD Environment Minister John Gormley stop preaching about the climate changes that “will” affect Irish landscapes and buildings in the future (Irish Examiner, September 15).

ACCORDING to a recent media report, Pakistan’s Catholic bishops have called for an end to that country’s blasphemy law.

HAVING decided to take the scenic route home after the Cork v Tipperary hurling match in Thurles last Sunday, we travelled through Clogheen by way of the Vee. A perfect day, the views were fabulous, but the litter thrown down below the lay-by was unbelievable.