Dear Bernard, I read a previous question some weeks ago which suggested that you might write about the Irish Rebellion of 1798. You said that there were too many raw wounds waiting to be scratched. I wonder does that mean you are reluctant to offend the Irish? I am an Irishman, and I would be fascinated by a story of Sharpe in Wexford in 1798, or even more so by Sharpe in Mayo where the French army landed. I read a novel by an American named Thomas Flanagan called ‘The Year of the French’ which dealt with the French/Irish attempt to defeat the British army on Irish soil in 1798. It is the most extraordinary historical novel I have ever read, even though it was written some time ago now. I wonder have you read it? It covered most profoundly the British, Irish and French viewpoints in the course of the war. It wasn’t a simple Goodies vs Baddies story, it was about real men and women on both sides of the conflict. I think, of all authors, you could pull this off as well as Flanagan did. I really do hope you might consider doing a story about 1798. Might you? Paul Reid