SubscribeSubscriber OnlyLettersIt pays to be upfront about etiquetteThe Irish Times - Letters to the Editor. Thu Aug 27 2026 - 06:00 • 1 MIN READSir, – I have some advice for Bernie Kirwan (Letters, August 25th). If I’m not offered a seat (occupied by a younger person) I stand right next to them and smile. If that doesn’t work, I say: “May I sit down?” Works every time. – Yours, etc,GABRIELLE HYLAND,READ MORELook inside: Stylish Galway cottage with pavilion extension on the AtlanticKaizen review: impressive dim sum and a tantalising ‘secret menu’After weeks of rain I flew to Minneapolis and was greeted with intoxicating brightnessFortycoats, ‘Felt Jesus’ and the time Aonghus McAnally said bum instead of bottomGlasnevin, Dublin 11.IN THIS SECTIONSocial media and accountabilityAI is here to stay, but proceed with extreme cautionIreland should be at the forefront of the drive to save UkraineTeacher shortage is a shortage of action Low transplant rates have serious repercussionsMOST READCar drives off M50 bridge, causing closure and major traffic disruptionPassports to be required for ferry passengers crossing Irish Sea Irish couple found dead at rented villa in SpainBoston Scientific lays groundwork to shift $15bn from Irish operationHSE investigating after video shows dementia patient being ‘disrespected’ on hospital wardLATEST STORIESFive homes on view this week in Dublin and Kildare from €475,000What triggered catastrophic flood on the Nepal-Tibet border?Walking past the decaying industrial plant, I swore I heard a Soviet ghost Fortycoats, ‘Felt Jesus’ and the time Aonghus McAnally said bum instead of bottomEducation matters: ‘Committing to something for four years, I needed to think about it’