Sir, – Finn McRedmond’s column (“Arsenal have become the club of the Irish diaspora”, Opinion, May 28th) was the typical mixture of insight and generosity that has made her such a valuable addition to the pages of your paper. My appreciation of her writing is deepened by her recognition of an experience that helped to define me, being young and Irish while living in London. So it is with sadness that I also write to correct an unfortunate recent insinuation. While writing about the merits of Arsenal Football Club, she hinted that there is no support from Ireland for one of the greatest football clubs in the world, Tottenham Hotspur. While my club’s fortunes over the last season have nearly broken my heart, I am pleased to inform Finn and your readers of a loyal support base at home and elsewhere. While not as big as other clubs mentioned, we are every bit as loyal and committed. Under a new manager, our revival has already begun. Even Homer nods. And Finn said she is open to meeting a Spurs fan. So, while the journey to our stadium is now longer for me than it used to be, I and other Spurs fans would be delighted to welcome her to a game. She would see the loyal Irish presence. That experience would make for some column. – Yours, etc, PASCHAL DONOHOE,Washington DC.Ken Early took both man and ballSir, – In his column on Monday, Ken Early suggested “football fans everywhere are suffering Arsenal’s consequences”. Methinks he doth . . . (you know the rest). - Yours, etc,EAMONN RAFFERTY,Barnet,Hertfordshire.Arsenal are a true club of the peopleSir, - Thirty-seven years ago, I rushed to defend George Graham’s Arsenal from the naysayers following an unforgettable Anfield dénouement to the First Division season. Here I am again, this time, in Finn McRedmond’s corner. It’s gratifying to see her opinion piece still giving the letters page so much oxygen. Her vindication is clear to anyone who saw the exuberant celebrations in Islington in the wake of a Champions League final defeat. Because Arsenal had players from north and south of this island in the years of the most horrific violence in Northern Ireland, they were emblematic of inclusivity then and have only grown that tradition in the intervening years.As some in our country and beyond lurch furiously to the right, I am proud that a group of men who started a football club while employed making arms for the old empire are now represented by a football culture that, in the words of Mikel Arteta, “belongs to everyone”.McRedmond’s article attracted righteous indignation and opprobrium from Irish supporters of other clubs, but I thank her and remind the Ken Earlys of this world – intent on damning Arsenal with faint praise – that the (league) table never lies. - Yours, etc,GERARD BURKE,Oranmore,Galway.