Fear of smoking is driving the ban

EWAN DUFFY (Irish Examiner letters, November 10), who was horrified to see actual smokers having a cigarette in Dublin recently, is merely showing the intolerance of his own phobia.

Capnophobia and fumiphobia are two terms that refer to an intense hatred or fear of smoking. The dictionary defines a phobia as “an irrational or very powerful fear and dislike of something”.

The operative word here is ‘irrational’ - something that over one million smokers in Ireland are victims of.

Mr Duffy goes on to give us a good example of his phobia with his contemptuous reference to the Transport Minister as ‘Smoky’ Cullen.

I know little of the cures for phobias, but for those wishing to correct their capnophobia, a corridor trolley awaits them in their local hospitals.

John Mallon

5 Shamrock Grove

Mayfield

Cork