IT is probably fair to say that most people in Ireland will not have heard of Jacqueline Cullinane. A Google search online will be unlikely to reveal her. Neither will a trawl through newspaper, radio, or TV archives.
She is either an unknown quantity or a hidden gem. Yet, gem she is: sparkling, vibrant, and precious.
As a woman in her 80s, Jacqueline has taken pen to paper to write to the Irish Examiner about our housing crisis.
Nothing particularly unusual about that — but what is unusual is that she has posited a sane, sensible solution or, at least, a significant contribution to alleviating that crisis.
While noting her own circumstances, she is primarily thinking of the needs of others.
Like many older people, Jacqueline, who lives in Ballincollig, on the outskirts of Cork City, is anxious to downsize, her home too big for her current needs. But she cannot see an alternative.
She wants to sell up and move to a smaller home in her community, but, unlike friends in the UK and US, she has no alternative. In commercial terms, Jacqueline has spotted a gap in the market. Perhaps some developer will seek to fill it.
Her letter, below, is worth reading for its own sake. Its erudition jumps from the page. Better still if the powers-that-be recognise it for the opportunity it presents.
Good on you, Ms Cullinane!