Brian Boyle (Letters, 4 July) questions the morality of those Irish citizens who have accepted titles from the same British monarch which bestowed a similar title on Lt-Col Derek Wilford, a senior British army officer in the North at the time of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry. Lt-Col Derek Wilford was the subject of criticism by Lord Saville in his report on the events of Bloody Sunday. That this man continues to retain his award is a matter of concern and could be construed as a considered insult to those victims of Bloody Sunday. If the apology from the British prime minister David Cameron for the behaviour of British soldiers in Derry in 1972 is to have any substance and is to be viewed by nationalists as a genuine apology, then the British head of state Queen Elizabeth II must personally issue an apology and strip this individual of his award.

If this does not happen, would those Irish royal awards recipients like Bono, Bob Geldof, the Gate Theatre's Michael Colgan, et al consider returning their imperial awards to her majesty as a gesture of support to those families who were bereaved on Bloody Sunday? For years now Bono and Bob have lectured the Irish government and the people of Ireland on our collective responsibilities to the oppressed peoples worldwide. By returning their honorary knighthoods, both men would be making a powerful statement, the social and political significance of which could be enormous.

Following the killings on Bloody Sunday in 1972, the late Beatle John Lennon returned his knighthood to her majesty in protest at the behaviour of the British army. In the face of adversity and charges of disloyalty, he bravely displayed a level of concern for innocent victims of his country's army when his action was regarded as unpatriotic. In the end, civilised society will remember the words of John Lennon, not the silence of Bob and Bono.

Tom Cooper,

Delaford Lawn,

Knocklyon, Dublin 16.