Launch venue a sign of `wind of change'

The city establishment turned up at Dublin's Civic Offices at Wood Quay yesterday for the launch of The Irish Times Environment Correspondent Frank McDonald's latest book on the city, The Construction of Dublin.

Commenting on the choice of venue for the launch, the assistant city manager, Mr Owen Keegan, said it was a potent symbol of the nature of the change in the relationship between the corporation and Mr McDonald.

Mr McDonald's role, he said, had been to challenge the corporation, to inform his readership, and to criticise when necessary. The importance of critical assessment was demonstrated by "events of recent months" and Mr McDonald's contribution could not be underestimated.

A modern local authority, he said, had to be open to the fact that it made mistakes. He hoped "that if we make mistakes in future we make new mistakes and not simply repeat the old ones".

In launching the book, Prof Kevin B. Nowlan said Mr McDonald had completed a trilogy of books on Dublin city. It was, he said, in the genre of the late Deirdre Kelly's book Four roads to Dublin and he was pleased that The Construction of Dublin was dedicated to Ms Kelly.

Mr McDonald said the venue for the launch was a symbol of the "wind of change" which had swept Dublin Corporation. It would have been an unimaginable event "just five years ago".

He thanked those who attended, many of whom were assiduously reading the index to see if they had been mentioned. He also thanked his lawyers who, he said, had "been over every line".