Letters to the Editor, July 8th: On equipping the Defence Forces, Botox, and replacing the president

News Snapshot:

Sir, – Conor Gallagher’s gripping account of Operation Piano captures not only the most audacious Irish Defence Forces mission in decades, but also a quiet truth: Irish sailors, soldiers and Air Corps crews perform extraordinary feats despite systemic neglect (“Hizbullah and Iran suspected of involvement in MV Matthew smuggling operation,” July 5th.) The daring interdiction of the MV Matthew amid Storm Agnes – with Army Ranger Wing operators rappelling on to a moving vessel in heavy swells, a lone helicopter pressed into service, and a single Naval Service ship shouldering the entire mission – should have been impossible. That it...