Sir, – Patrick Logue’s “ Irishman’s Diary” of May 19th on why printed newspapers are hard to beat reminded of a time long past when, as a young student nurse in the Royal City of Dublin Hospital on night duty we were expected to cut a newspaper, probably The Irish Times, into small squares and thread a piece of string through and leave it in the casualty department toilets. Try that with an iPad!
In the early 1970s when I started working in the field of homelessness, some newspapers ended up as ground sheets for people sleeping rough, or as fuel for fires to keep warm.
We are living in a different time, but the newspaper has a crucial role to play in informing people of all ages, encouraging active citizenship and social engagement, while giving employment and, dare I say, pleasure.
Long live newspapers. – Yours, etc,
ALICE LEAHY,
Director & Co-Founder,
Trust,
Bride Road,
Dublin 8.
