Sir, – In his match report on Ireland versus Armenia Ken Early rightly questions the “FAI’s obsession with hiring solo singers to turn our marching-band national anthem into a morale-sapping dirge,” and with that he has hit the nail on the proverbial head (“Do we even want to go to the World Cup playing like this,” October 15th).

Our national anthem is indeed a “marching-band” anthem and played at the right pace it is right up there with La Marseillaise or Il Canto degli Italiani, it can be stirring and inspiring.

As I listened yesterday evening, I thought Ken Early was being generous in describing it as a “dirge”.

I couldn’t help thinking of the actual lyrics of the whole song especially a line in verse one when we are supposed to be “impatient for the coming fight”.

I live in Germany and back at the World Cup in 2002 when we drew with Germany thanks to Robbie Keane’s last-minute goal, the local newspaper here was profuse in its praise of the Irish team and its never-say-die spirit and actually quoted lines from Amhrán na bhFiann.

The most stirring version of our national anthem that I have ever heard was the game in Croke Park in 2005 when our rugby team played England and the Army and Garda bands plus the fans gave us such an electrifying performance.

We do not need solo vocalists to “lead” the fans in the singing, the FAI should either provide a band or simply play a stirring version of the anthem and let the fans sing along. It is time to reclaim the anthem for the fans. – Yours, etc,

Séamus McClelland,

Konstanz ,

Germany.

Girl talk,

boy talk

Sir, – I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the comments from the new school principal of Castleknock College suggesting that there’s “nothing actually else out there” for teenage boys besides faith and spirituality (“Boys-only Dublin private school appoints first woman principal in 190-year history,” October 14th).

Coming from the head of an all-boys school, the remarks feel especially dated, implyi