LÉ Samuel Beckett

[Battletour]

And four bulls eyes at that!

[Rhodes]

To be fair, if Beckett and Joyce were alive today they'd probably want to be on Neil Jordan's list.

[Laners]

Will the Beckett family Coat of Arms be on the ships crest ?

[Schmigs]

To be fair, if Beckett and Joyce were alive today they'd probably want to be on Neil Jordan's list.

Almost certainly. Perhaps if the third ship goes ahead she can be the L.E. Oscar Wilde. He'd love that.

There are plenty of historical Irish figures who the ships could have been named after.

[Bam Bam]

I would have liked to see them named after those exectued after the rising as opposed to those involved in the arts.

[Rhodes]

Will the Beckett family Coat of Arms be on the ships crest ?

The crest has been designed already. Its as horrible as the ships name.

[Laners]

Thats got be the Haulbowline Theatre Group

[sofa]

As there is no grant or tax exemption racket available for lovies who will be getting there name on the side of a Irish Naval vessel. most of the present shower of chancers and parasites
wont be interested. Haughey knew what he was doing when he bought off that shower with the Aosdana dole office

[Turkey]

Holland, Parsons, and Whitehead would have been more then suitable.....

[hedgehog]

LE. John Hume in honour of the real peace bringer and it would sicken every Shinner.

[sofa]

The crest has been designed already. Its as horrible as the ships name.

The naming of the ships were taken out of the hands of the Navy. so who is responsible for the crest. ( Please don't say someone in the Navy ) it's too arty farty looking.

[morpheus]

LE Francis Ledwidge is better, he at least was a military man.

Or creating a lineage with recycling of retired ship names.

Or using irish cities
LE Port Láirge
LE Corcaigh
LE Atha Cliath
or their english names

[Battletour]

Sir, – I hope that the pen is still mightier than the sword. But, if we must have armed naval vessels then, rather than name them after poets and writers, would it not be more apt to name them after Irish people who worked on the technologies of war? People such as John Philip Holland from Liscannor, who developed the modern submarine; Louis Brennan from Castlebar, who invented the first guided missile; Sir Charles Parsons from Birr, whose turbines powered gunships; or Sir Howard Grubb from Dublin, who invented a submarine periscope and telescopic gunsights. – Yours, etc,

MARY MULVIHILL,

Ingenious Ireland,

Manor Street,

Dublin 7.

A chara, – Is this about naval vessels or navel-gazing? – Is mise,

LOMAN Ó LOINGSIGH,

Ellensborough Drive,

Kiltipper Road,

Dublin 24.

[hptmurphy]

LE Port Láirge

Port Lairge was the dredger in Waterford

as regards the naming thing...its done, good looking ship, get over it!

[Battletour]

Sir, – The Department of Defence states (Home News, May 5th) that naming our new naval vessels after “world-renowned literary figures” will “facilitate greater recognition” for the Naval Service “in the international maritime domain”. This excellent objective would be facilitated to a much greater degree by accepting the frequent invitations to contribute naval assets to EU-led anti-piracy operations, which up to now have invariably been refused. After all, if countries such as Estonia, Finland and Romania feel it appropriate to participate in such operations, surely Ireland, with its frequently stated objective of being a maritime nation, should do so also. – Yours, etc,

FERGUS CAHILL,

Cúil Ghlas,

Dunboyne,

Co Meath.

Sir, – I have an open mind on whether the Department of Defence and the Government should name the two new Naval Service patrol ships after Nobel prize-winning Irish writers or after mythical female figures (Home News, May 5th).

The recently built and delivered LÉ Samuel Beckett falls into the category of being named after the Nobel prize-winning Irish writer. However, the second ship to be built and called the LÉ James Joyce honours neither a Nobel prize winner nor a mythical female figure. Joyce, although one of Ireland’s most famous literary sons, was never nominated for the Nobel prize. – Yours, etc,

TOM COOPER,

Templeville Road,

Templeogue,

Dublin 6W.

Sir, – It seems to me that the decision to name the two naval ships after Joyce and Beckett wasn’t quite thought out; both writers left Ireland and finally never came back, hardly a favourable augury. Patrick O’Brian wasn’t Irish – but neither are the vessels – but liked to let on he was, and he did write what are regarded as some of the best sea-faring novels. He would have been a more obvious choice, but whoever named the ships had probably never read either writer. I can hear my late father-in-law, a merchant seaman, quietly laughing at the pretentiousness of it all. – Yours, etc,

EOIN DILLON,

Ceannt Fort,

Mount Brown,

Dublin 8