A metro for Dublin
Sir, – Senator Michael McDowell’s most recent critique of MetroLink (“Will no one shout stop as the MetroLink bill heads past €20bn?”, Opinion, March 12th) raises concerns about escalating costs and project feasibility. While cost control is essential, dismissing MetroLink ignores the social, economic, and environmental costs of continued inaction.
Yes, MetroLink’s estimated costs have risen, but delays are a key driver of inflation. Every year of hesitation adds to costs due to rising construction prices and repeated redesigns. The alternative to MetroLink is not a cheaper, better system – it is continued congestion, worsening air pollution, and an overburdened public transport network unable to support Dublin’s growth.
Mr McDowell has frequently criticised MetroLink, but his argument ignores key realities:
Capacity: MetroLink can carry up to 50 million passengers per year, far exceeding Luas.
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Speed & Reliability: As a fully segregated system, MetroLink avoids delays caused by road traffic.
Planning impact: Both the Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028 and the Fingal Development Plan 2023-2029 are based on MetroLink’s delivery, shaping zoning, housing, and sustainable transport strategies. Scrapping it would undermine years of development planning, forcing expensive and inefficient alternatives.
The oft-repeated claim that Japan’s Mitsui Corporation once offered a “free metro” is misleading. The proposal required £100 million in public funds, a 25-year private franchise, and potential fare risks. Privatised transport models often lead to long-term public bailouts when revenue projections fall short. Rejecting one deal in the 1980s does not justify perpetual inaction today.
Beyond political indecision, persistent media scepticism from high-profile commentators has contributed to hesitation, reinforcing the cycle of delay. The same voices who once questioned MetroLink’s necessity now lament its rising costs – failing to acknowledge their role in the indecision that drove those increases.
Dublin is not unique – metro projects worldwide have seen rising costs, but cities still build them because the cost of doing nothing is far greater. The real question is: what is the social, economic, and environmental cost of not building MetroLink, given that development plans have been created on the basis of its delivery? – Yours, etc,
Cllr JAMES HUMPHREYS,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
Prison overcrowding
Sir, – I’m grateful to The Irish Times for publishing Ian O’Donnell’s piece (“Prisons are in crisis – but the answer isn’t more prisons”, Opinion, March 8th) in which he once again drew attention to prison overcrowding.
I was particularly struck by the following passage: “Imagine living with a stranger and a shared toilet in a space the size of a parking bay”.
That in 2025 we treat our fellow human beings with such indignity is an indictment of the State, Government and, indeed society. It shouldn’t need stating that prisoners are human beings but shamefully it is necessary to do so. Prisoners are sent to prison as punishment but not for punishment; at least that’s what I understood. – Yours. etc,
NESSAN VAUGHAN,
Baldoyle,
Dublin 13,
The case for Wolfe Tone
Sir, – Tommy Graham (Letters, March 12th) certainly makes a valid point about the renaming of Trinity College Dublin’s Berkeley Library and that naming it after Wolfe Tone would have been appropriate. May I suggest that while the great Tone is certainly worthy of commemoration, the decision was made because it is more than time that the female of the species is commemorated on at least one of our important capital city buildings. – Yours, etc,
MARION WALSH,
Dublin 4.
Manchester United’s new home
Sir, – There are many aspects of the proposal to construct a new stadium in Manchester that defy belief, including the completion date of 2030. However, what consigns the plan to the world of fantasy is the accompanying computer-generated image of the scoreboard showing Manchester United leading 3-0. The architects have overreached themselves. – Yours, etc,
DAVID LOUGHLIN,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
Sir, I see that Manchester United are set to build a 100,000-seater stadium to replace Old Trafford. That’s a lot of seats for a potential Championship side – and a mediocre one at that – to fill. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
Special classes for autism
Sir, – In response to Minister of State Michael Moynihan’s “bewilderment” over the perceived hesitation of some school principals to establish special classes for autism, it is important to clarify that this issue is not rooted in reluctance. As someone deeply familiar with the challenges faced by schools, I can assure the Minister that the primary issues are the need for adequate infrastructure, sufficient resources, and comprehensive training.
The Planning and Building Unit, the Special Inclusion Unit, and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) continue to take a reactive rather than proactive approach. In recent years the department and the NCSE resort to last-minute reallocations of vacant classrooms and schools are pressurised to repurpose libraries, computer rooms, nurture spaces, and learning support rooms to accommodate special classes for autism. This approach undermines the importance of these spaces and demonstrates a profound lack of empathy for the broader school community who rely on these rooms for their development and wellbeing.
Principals who resist the loss of these valuable resources are summoned to meetings in Marlborough Street to “discuss” their objections but this is not strategic planning; it is brinkmanship designed to pressure schools into compliance. The so-called consultation process is tokenistic at best – a letter is sent, a school accedes, the rooms are lost. If not, officials from the Planning and Building Unit, the Special Inclusion Unit, and the National Council for Special Education, using legislative powers, push ahead regardless, ignoring the genuine concerns of those on the front lines.
This coercive tactic shifts all responsibility on to schools, while the Department of Education and NCSE evade accountability for their failure to plan and budget effectively, opting instead for short-term, cost-saving measures that leave school principals scrambling each year and the most vulnerable students left to pay the price for this systemic failure.
Another glaring issue is the lack of meaningful training for teachers assigned to special classes. The NCSE offers a four-day introductory autism course for the opening of the first class and the training is reduced to just two days for subsequent classes. Postgraduate courses that allow teachers to specialise in special education are essential. Whole-school training in essential programmes, as well as proper support and access to therapies is required.
To put this into perspective, imagine an airport where a mechanic, trained in aircraft maintenance, is suddenly asked to fly a plane because the pilot called in sick. The absurdity of this scenario is obvious, yet in schools across Ireland, mainstream teachers are routinely expected to step into special classes for autism without the necessary training.
These teachers work with students who have a wide range of complex needs and who deserve specialist interventions and therapies. Offering just four days of training – or two, in some cases – is not only inadequate but also disrespectful to both educators, who fear not being able to meet the needs of the children and also disrespectful to the children and their families. In the absence of this investment, the Government’s rhetoric about inclusion rings hollow.
If the Government is serious about inclusion, it must invest in proper infrastructure, comprehensive teacher training, and long-term strategies to meet the growing demand for all special education. Until then, schools will continue to struggle, and the Minister will remain “fiercely puzzled”. – Yours, etc,
RUTH MOLLOY,
Clonsilla,
Dublin 15.
O Canada
Sir, – I’ve got an idea!
Why doesn’t Canada invite the United States to become its 11th province? – Yours, etc,
DAVID CLEERE,
Gorey,
Co Wexford.
Neutrality in a changing world
Sir, – When will Ireland step up and defend itself instead of depending on Nato forces? We do not have to compromise our neutrality but we do need to be able to patrol our seas, defend our air space and have a credible army to defend our land.
Finland, with a population similar to ours and with a GDP that is lower, has a formidable defence force. They have a standing force of some 24,000 and can call up to 870,000 in reserve. They have conscription. Their hardware is extensive; combat jet planes, missile ships and artillery unmatched else where in Europe, all with the necessary ancillary equipment and trained personnel.
Events over the past couple of years have revealed Europe’s weakness and over dependence on the US.
It’s time we took our defence into our own hands. – Yours, etc,
DENNIS HAWKE,
Tamney,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Romanian elections
Sir, – I have always respected The Irish Times as having an editorial line which consistently opposes attempts to frustrate democracy. I was therefore taken aback when I read your editorial in today’s (“The Irish Times view on politics in Romania: a disputed far-right candidacy,” March 12th) paper all-but endorsing the decision of the Romanian courts to block the candidacy of the front-running candidate, the far-right and anti-EU Calin Georgescu, on grounds which most democrats would consider debatable to say the least.
I feel sure that if measures were taken by courts in, say, Georgia or Belarus, to block a pro-EU and pro-Nato candidate in the same way, it would be met with a thundering denunciation from your leader columns. Perhaps more consistency is needed here? – Yours, etc.
RICHARD BARRETT,
Upper Rathmines Road,
Dublin.
Aviva Blues
Sir, – My son and I came from the US to watch the Ireland v France game last Saturday as part of a Yale University Rugby group that I had coached on a tour to Ireland in 1983. We were seated “in the gods” near a large and highly coherent French supporter group whose voice on every possible occasion resounded around the stadium, reminiscent of La Marseillaise in the movie Casablanca. By comparison, the response of the Irish crowd was muted, distributed and – as a source of inspiration – virtually non-existent. Why? The IRFU needs to take a look at that, and maybe themselves too.
SCOTT* and JAMIE KELSO,
Florida and California.
*Originally from Derry. Represented the US Eagles on six occasions
Sir, – Just before kick-off in the Ireland-France game last Saturday, the stadium public address system played The Fields of Athenry during the break for ads. The crowd sang along dutifully, but what a mournful dirge it is. “We have dreams and songs to sing” sounded incongruously plaintive and melancholic in the thrilling atmosphere of anticipation. By contrast, the singing of La Marseillaise by the French fans was spine-tingling. “Arise children of the fatherland, Our day of glory has arrived” rang around the stadium far more appropriately to the occasion.
The Fields of Athenry had its greatest moment at the 2012 Euros when the Irish fans belted it out for six incredible minutes in Gdansk as Ireland lost 4-0 to Spain to exit the championship. We went out in style, proud of our team even as we lost again.
It is a long time since the Irish rugby team merely dreamed of victory. We have been living in a golden era of Irish rugby, world cup success notwithstanding, especially since the historic win against the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016. Though disappointing, the result on Saturday meant Ireland fell outside the top two in the world rankings for only the second time since the end of the Rugby World Cup in 2023. We remain third behind South Africa and – narrowly – New Zealand. Can we not find a more rousing and inspiring anthem to support our rugby team and express our joy in victory? The Fields of Athenry has surely had its day. – Yours, etc,
JANE MAHONY,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
In defence of the dandelion
Sir, – Unlike Norma Jessop (Letters, March 12th), I have no doubt about the value of dandelions as a source of nectar and pollen. In addition, the dandelion is a colourful, cheerful and vibrant herald of spring. If dandelions were rare and difficult to grow, fastidious gardeners who now devote much effort to their elimination might carefully cultivate them. William Wordsworth might even have waxed eloquently about a host of golden dandelions rather than daffodils. On behalf of lazy gardeners, the environment and bumblebees, I ask that our dandelions be left alone. – Yours. etc,
JOE AHERN,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Breaking the tape
Sir, – I was very sorry indeed to learn today that Laura Slattery’s column will be her last. (“Blank-tape bliss can never be repeated”, Business, March 11th). I thoroughly enjoyed her well-written columns and excellent journalism.
She covered wonderful topics and gave great assessments, clearly outlining the latest happenings in the media. Always a joy to read and to learn from her writings. She will be much missed but can never be erased! – Yours, etc,
KATHLEEN KELLEHER,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Editor’s note: A new column from Laura will soon feature in the Ticket every Weekend.
