The notion raised by Pat McLaughlin, a city-dweller, found expressing his fondness for dandelions and suggesting it to be the national blossom in his letter dated April 16th (“All hail the dandelion”), may resonate with some, but not all. Furthermore, there’s the intriguing question of what our Patron Saint, St Patrick would feel about this audacious botanical replacement. It reminds me of Patrick Kavanagh, our revered unofficial poet laureate who scorned the often despised flower by illustrating it as, “Dandelions revealing their unappreciated faces to the public”. Remember, the perception of beauty, much like affection, remains subjective. – Yours sincerely, Desmond Swan, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.