Dear Ann
Thank you very much for sending me the books. I received them last Saturday. I spent some time over the weekend having a good look at them and found them very interesting.

In the ‘Roads to Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend’ I was fascinated to see a reference to Park Avenue where I was born and in particular number 25 which was the home of the Jamesons.

My grandfather was Robert William Jameson and one of his daughters Elizabeth Marjorie Jameson was my mother. As my father died when I was 2 years old, I lived at number 25 Park Avenue for about 12 years.

Robert William Jameson ran a nursery at number 25 which was about 5 acres. He ran this from the beginning of the 1940s or earlier until the late 50s or early sixties. I remember this property backed onto the Cricket Club at the southern end where I used to find cricket balls that had been hit over the hedge.

Thank you Ann for giving me access to these books which have already provided me with much enjoyment.
Kind regards
Ken Hosgood, New Zealand

A Chara,
As media reports draw our attention to the worsening childhood obesity problem in this State, are your readers aware that the government will provide no funding for PE equipment in primary schools this year?

However, SuperValu’s ‘Kids in Action’, which was launched recently, offers impoverished schools a ‘FREE’ Gaelic football (R.R.P. €11.70) if we collect €3,190 worth of receipts. A ‘FREE’ gymnastics springboard (R.R.P €250) will be ours if we generate a mere €39,920 worth of shopping.

It doesn’t appear to bother either the Department of Education or the Irish Sports Council, who both support the scheme, that the inevitable losers will be the small schools, poor schools and special schools who may have greatest need of PE equipment. Ironically, the Sports Council’s John Treacy hit the nail on the head on RTE news when he said that there was a major shortage of sports equipment and that if there was any other means to provide such equipment then he’d welcome it.

No gold medals for ingenuity but an adequate government grant would be a far better solution to the lack of sports equipment in primary schools than ‘token gestures’ by supermarket chains.

As a teacher, I refuse to trade commercial access to our students during school time in return for crumbs from the corporate table and wonder, if the Government insist on only partly-funding education, then surely we only require a part-time Minister on part-time wages?
Is mise,
Mr. Niall Smyth,
St Gabriel’s NS, Dublin 7

Dear Madam Editor
I would like to begin by congratulating you on the newspaper you publish.

The October 2007 copy of the newspaper included an old photograph that was identified as my Great Grandmother Mrs Annie Doyle, Sacristan of Ringsend Church.

My uncle has identified two of the boys as men called Memory and Sheridan.
I am wondering if it is possible to get a copy of that photograph as there is very little evidence of my great grandmother.

Another uncle of mine was Laurence Skinner– he had a shop down there in Ringsend for many years. Mrs Doyle would have been his grandmother. This photograph has really brought a buzz to the family.

If it is possible to purchase that photograph– could you email me back and I can send off a check or purchase it via credit card.
I would be most grateful.
Thank you for your help
Don Harper
(Photograph sent by email)

Selina Kemple has asked NewsFour to publish the following letter to thank all the people who helped her raise funds for the Cardiac Unit of our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.

Dear Selina,
On behalf of the Cardiac Unit at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin I wish to thank you for your very generous donation of €32,608.14. Our official receipt is enclosed.

To raise the above amount was a fantastic achievement and we are very grateful to you for all the hard work and effort you put into raising this money. Please also extend our sincere gratitude to all your sponsors and supporters for their generosity and contributions.

The funds we receive from kind donors are used in one of three ways in the Hospital. Firstly, we have research as a major objective and channel enormous energy and funds into trying to solve the problems of childhood illness and disease.

Secondly, we supplement the Department of Health’s contribution to Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick children by providing items of equipment and capital projects, which may be on the priority list, but which the Department of Health may not reach in its annual subvention to the Hospital.

Thirdly, on an infrequent low key basis, we provide a temporary staff recourse, again where the Department of health may not yet have recognised a service need which we think is necessary and valuable and which we will put into effect so as to convince them of its utility.

Your donation will go into our Cardiac fund, which is dedicated to achieve the various objectives outlined above within the cardiac services of the Hospital. We have much to accomplish each year and we feel very indebted to the thoughtfulness and good nature of people who help us to continue to assist sick children in these ways.
Thank you for choosing us as the beneficiary of your kind generosity.
Yours sincerely,
Janet Dunphy
Fundraising Executive
Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital