22-05-2025
No friend of man's best friend
Sir, - Hachiko, the famously faithful Japanese dog, has his statue in Shibuya Station, his story in schoolbooks, and, I believe, a film to his name (
An Irishman's Diary, May 21st
). Fido, his Italian counterpart, got tax exemption and national honour. Meanwhile, in Ireland, we never even named the sheepdog who was central to Dinny and Miley in Glenroe every Sunday night for years.
It says something about national priorities - or perhaps our deeply ingrained modesty. Where other nations bronze their beasts, we barely remember ours.
But that unnamed dog still rounded up more viewers than most RTÉ dramas today.
Faithful, underpaid, and uncredited: truly the Irish way. – Yours, etc,
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ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh
