Letters

Where have the swans gone?

At one time there would be 30 on the Grand Canal at Portobello

Wed Nov 02 2022 - 00:10

A chara, – The subterranean path of the Swan river in Dublin is reflected above ground by an inscription in Mount Pleasant Park. I like to imagine that the swans who normally grace the Grand Canal some 500m away are descendants of the swans that gave the culverted river its name.

There are no swans on the canal today: until last week, a solitary bird sullenly camped on the north bank. Perhaps its comrades, often in excess of 30 birds, are still on the Shannon to the west.

Or perhaps not: avian flu, nitrates, untreated sewage, air pollution: there are many potential deadly challenges to the now silent swans.

And we too are mute.

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– Le gach dea ghuidhe,

PAUL ARNOLD,

Portobello,

Dublin 8.