Third party needed to sort out conflicting claims

LIKE many of your readers I am very interested in the issues raised by Jack Lane and Meda Ryan in recent correspondence on the Kilmichael ambush.

I was amazed at the charges made by Mr Lane against Peter Hart concerning the War of Independence in west Cork.

These charges entailed interviewing survivors of the ambush after they had died, using a forged document as a legitimate source and selectively quoting from another source to claim the opposite of what that source actually said.

These claims should not be left hanging in the air. I have neither the time nor the opportunity to check Mr Lane’s claims, but may I suggest that some of our high-profile professional historians come to our assistance and give us their considered assessment of these charges. Pre-eminent among them is John A Murphy who must be thoroughly familiar with Kilmichael and the War of Independence in west Cork.

Is he not the ideal person to sort this out once and for all?

Seamus Lantry

An Gríanán

8 Fitton Street East

Morrisons Island

Cork