Donegal fiddler

In his review of the play Greta Garbo Came to Donegal ( Garbo's Irish adventure captures a country in revolt , Reviews, 13 January), Michael Billington refers to Greta Garbo 's "improbable descent on Donegal". In fact, she did visit the county in the late 1960s to stay at Glenveagh Castle , at the invitation of its wealthy and flamboyant owner, Henry McIlhenny . She was one of several Hollywood stars and other celebrities to spend time at the house, which is a castle only in name. On my first visit to the "castle", just after it passed into the hands of the Irish state, a young guide showing us around the bedrooms recited the names of famous people who had previously spent nights there. One name baffled us. "In this bed slept the world-renowned fiddler," he said, "Hughie McMenamin." It later transpired that the fiddler in question was Yehudi Menuhin . Roy Greenslade Brighton, East Sussex