Billy Ryle News Today

Lorraine Courtney has taken aim at Scotland’s new “hate-speech” legislation (‘Scotland’s hate-speech laws have been a disaster – are you watching, Simon Harris?’ Irish Independent, April 29).

Sir — On Saturday morning, February 14, 1981, I was 11 — in fact, my birthday was the day before. My mother was doing the laundry, using a twin-tub washing machine that was dragged into the middle of the kitchen.

I bought my house 32 years ago for around €50,000. At that time my earnings were €12,000 per annum, which represented an average wage. Fast forward 32 years, the average wage in Ireland is now €45,000. However, my house is now valued at €550,000. So, wages have increased less than four-fold, while property has increased eleven-fold.

The annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is upon us again when figureheads from the world of big business will spend four days networking and speech-making. It’s by invitation only.

Sir — Blue Monday is tomorrow, January 15. It’s reputed to be the most depressing day of the year due to inclement weather, dark evenings, overdrawn bank accounts, maxed out credit cards, broken new year resolutions and the Christmas spirit fading fast.

Celebrity chefs are popping up everywhere with advice on how to cook the definitive Christmas dinner. In my opinion, it’s best to wear the green jersey by using Irish ingredients, keeping the menu simple, sharing the preparatory tasks and preparing only what’s needed.

The winter solstice tomorrow is the day of least daylight in the year, also known as the shortest day. After winter solstice, daylight gradually increases until the summer solstice in June.

I take serious issue with Jennifer Rubin’s piece (‘Despite crass effort to flip the narrative, Al-Shifa was used as a military facility’, Irish Independent, November 21).

Your story about the “RTE presenter” who will receive €100,000 more than the new €250,000 RTÉ salary cap until 2025 was galling and is most certainly unacceptable (Irish Independent, November 18)

Sir — The award of the Freedom of Dublin to climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg earlier this year should be seen as a first step in correcting the gender discrepancy associated with recipients of this honour.