Ireland

During this trip much was made of the long relationship between Britain and Ireland.

However, due to people’s attitude towards the Irish many people don’t fully appreciate how long this relationship has existed.

Ireland was never successfully subjected to the same act of cultural genocide as Britain suffered under the Romans, which is why Irish mythology remains effectively complete.

Irish mythology shows that the relationship between Britain and Ireland literally dates back thousands of years before the birth of Christ.

It contains references to events in Britain before the Romans invaded, including the real mythological origins of the British people.

A study of Irish mythology helps us understand how and why the megalithic culture started and how it came to Britain, resulting in Stonehenge.

Irish culture is so old that many historians believe it is the only way to understand the shared culture of those who became the Anglo-Saxons and Celts etc.

CT Riley, Spennymoor .

THE Queen continued her tour of Ireland by visiting Croke Park and laying a wreath at the shrine for those Irish soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.

Of course, she couldn’t repeat the trick in respect of the Second World War because Ireland decided not to join the free world in confronting fascism. It officially stayed neutral although there were many brave Irishmen who joined up and fought Hitler.

I cannot understand why we are tip-toeing around and apologising for events of almost 100 years ago. Since the partition we have fought Germany, Italy and Japan with thousands of UK citizens killed, many of them civilians. And we returned the favour with interest.

Yet German citizens are welcome here and we are treated like brothers when we go to their homeland. The horrors of the Second World War are history.

Why must the Irish continue to make a meal of their battle for independence?

DW Lacey, Durham