Ireland’s right to roam
Sir, – I wish to add my voice to the call for a renewed focus on the right to roam in these pages. The frustration of the public interest by a small number of landowners provides a neat illustration of Mancur Olson’s (1965) theory of collective action, which offers a useful guide to much of our democratic politics.
In practice, our laws and institutions often respond not to the number of people who hold a preference, but to the intensity with which that preference is held. Here, a highly motivated minority of landowners exerts outsized influence because their benefit is concentrated, while the benefits of access to the countryside are highly diffuse.
As a result, it is far easier for the few to organise and preserve the status quo, to the detriment of the obvious public interest.
I suspect a clear majority of citizens would support the introduction of reasonable right to roam legislation in Ireland. Yet that majority will always struggle to overcome the barriers to collective action and to give political expression to this latent preference.
‘I found a note my withdrawn 13-year-old daughter wrote saying that she hated her life’
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First Look: The Rooftop Bar cocktail and dining area at The Marker – the place to be when the sun sets
The Last of Us drops a bombshell for the TV ages. Did that really just happen?
This is precisely where enlightened political leadership must intervene to correct for this tragic imbalance: to aggregate, articulate and legislate for the common good – before our right of access is eroded any further. – Yours, etc,
SHANE BYRNE,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Inheritance planning
Sir, – I refer to Joanne Hunt’s excellent article concerning planning one’s estate and inheritance (“Who gets the house: have you spoken to your parents about happens when they die?” Money Matters, April 16th).
The article highlights most of the key issues. As a tax adviser, however, I feel well placed to add to the issues she raised.
In my experience the following are the most taxing (pun intended) concerns: Most think they will live forever. Absurd but true.
Some wish to control things beyond the grave and wish to leave bequests with conditions as to how or when they are to be used.
Finally, the minority would like to take their wealth with them. Most absurd yet still true. – Yours, etc,
LESLIE BARRETT,
Limerick.
Too many czars
Sir, – I have read several recent letters from doctors suggesting a “czar-type” person should be appointed by the Government to look after children’s mental health (Letters, April 14th, 16th).
Czars, historically speaking, were people who ruled in an authoritarian manner, often with no regard for the health or welfare of those in their care, using imprisonment, torture and slave labour as weapons of control.
I suggest we choose a gentler word to describe the individual who might oversee children’s mental healthcare.
The terms commissioner, ombudsman or director of care come to mind, or if we must compare the individual to an international person why don’t we describe them as a “Dalai Lama type” person?
The term czar should only be used to describe those politicians or heads of state who behave in an overly authoritative manner, of whom there is no shortage nowadays. – Yours, etc,
PAVEL MARIANSKI,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.
Shopping around for insurance
Sir, – Brian Lee, the chief executive of the Health Insurance Authority (HIA), has said that health insurance “is a product that many people in Ireland value”, and that consumers should shop around (“Cost of health insurance rises over 12 per cent in a year,” News, April 15th). Platitudes such as these are deeply infuriating.
Health insurance prices are continually rising in double digit figures. While I would be slow to be without it, my policy has risen by ¤44 per month since 2023, at the same time the cost of treatments have increased but the refundable benefit has not – so I am paying more to receive less, which does not seem like value to me.
Furthermore, such increases without similar wage increases are unsustainable.
In line with his advice, I went to the HIA website but it is a web of plans and nearly impossible to accurately compare one plan with another.
Moreover, there is an abundance of options which, in agreement with Diarmaid Ferriter last week, makes for an odious task (“Life admin has become more irksome as many utility firms treat customers with contempt”, Opinion, April 11th). Who benefits? Ultimately, the insurance companies because it is near impossible to find the best value, should it exist. – Yours, etc,
NIAMH BYRNE,
Fairview,
Dublin 3.
French approach to cycle lanes
A chara, – Every week I cycle across Paris and so read with much surprise that the city now has more than 1,000km of cycle lanes (Letters, April 16th ). Your correspondent can be forgiven, as various sources give a similar figure, however the devil is in the detail, and in the dissonance.
What is a cycle lane? Are we comparing like with like? At most, Paris could be said to have 300km of sorts of dedicated cycle lanes, but even then, rarely on a par with norms in Germany and the Netherlands.
When I came to Paris in the 1990s there were simply no cycle lanes, yet officially they already covered 100km. Jacques Chirac was mayor at the time and had green lines painted on many streets and boulevards, including all along the Champs Élysées.
Rather comical, the cars quickly wiped out the painted green lines, as they would any cyclist brave enough to believe they were cycling in a dedicated cycle lane. It is reassuring that the Dublin idea of a cycle lane is closer to the Dutch masters than to Parisian green paint. – Le gach dea-ghuí,
CIARÁN Mac GUILL,
Clichy,
An Fhrainc.
Humanitarian aid to Gaza
Sir, – Rule 55 of the 4th Geneva Convention states that “parties to conflict must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, which is impartial in character and conducted without any adverse distinction, subject to their right of control”.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has stated that Israel will not allow any humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to put pressure on Hamas as negotiations around an Israeli proposal for a Gaza ceasefire continue.
By their own admission, they are in breach of this convention.
Why does Europe remain silent? – Yours, etc,
DES SMITH,
Dundrum,
Dublin 16.
Praise for Scéal
A chara, – Bhain mé an-taithneamh as an bhforlíonadh Scéal a léamh san Irish Times inniú.
Is fada an lá go bhfuaireamar níos mó ná leathleathanach as Gaeilge I rith na seachtaine! Comhghairdeachas! Go maire sé! – Is mise,
NIAMH Nic CÁRTHAIGH,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
Clonmacnoise ‘tech n-oiged’
Sir, – On a sunny April afternoon last week, I decided to go to Clonmacnoise or Cluain Mhic Nóis with a couple of friends. It is a place close to my heart. I was taken there by my parents as a young child. It is situated close to the centre of Ireland on a gravel ridge overlooking the river Shannon. Getting there by car is not easy. Once you turn off from the main Dublin to Galway road it is a bumpy ride, often having to pull aside to let agricultural vehicles pass.
Clonmacnoise, founded by St Ciaran in the mid–sixth century, became Ireland’s most famous monastery for its literary and artistic achievements. Several books were compiled there, most notably the Book of the Dun Cow and the famous jewel encrusted Clonmacnoise Crozier.
At its height it was visited by scholars from all over Europe. It is also the burial place for the High Kings of Tara. In the Annals of the Four Masters there is special mention of how a special house called the “tech n-oiged” was kept to receive visitors. It was an important feature in every monastery that hospitality would be provided for visiting guests. In our modern times, the shop at Clonmacnoise had become this “tech n-oiged”. Its staff, friendly and helpful, welcomed visitors. The shop itself is aesthetically pleasing and its design in keeping with its surroundings. Visitors were able to get a coffee, a bottle of water or pick up a range of gifts, books and mementoes. In short, it provided the full experience of a visit to this place of heritage.
Sadly, the OPW (Office of Public Works) has now closed the shop. It is full season and the question remains, why?
My friends and I stood in the warm sunshine wondering what to do. No drinks, no sandwiches or a chance to buy some gifts or mementoes. We felt disgusted after having made our journey there. The visitors arriving by bus felt the same.
The number of visitors to Clonmacnoise has increased in recent times. However, this increase may be diminished in the coming years if visitors continue to be treated shabbily. Heaven forbid, a food truck would be moved on to the site, another insult to the sensibility of its visitors. The aim should be for all to enjoy the full experience of their visit to this important place of heritage. – Yours, etc,
NUALA HOLLOWAY,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Front-page news?
Sir, – I was disheartened to see the story of a pub being demolished to make way for the Cork Luas on your front page (“Owner thought plan to raze pub for Cork Luas was a prank”, News, April 16th).
Not only is this not national news, it also represents the kind of NIMBYISM (not in my backyard) that we must actively resist. While it is unfortunate that a pub may be demolished, such compromises are often necessary in the name of progress. It is no wonder so little gets built in Ireland when stories like this make the front page of The Irish Times. – Yours, etc,
OLA LØKKEN NORDRUM,
Beggars Bush,
Dublin 4.
Food safety regulations
Sir, – I read with horror that the US administration wants the EU to relax its food safety regulations to allow for the import of more of its agricultural products into the bloc (“EU dismisses US demands on food standards and ties to China”, News, April 16th).
A recent column in the New York Times on the pain some animals endure at US slaughterhouses left me cold. According to the US Meat Institute “96 per cent of animals should be rendered insensible after one shot in the head with a bolt, which still means that 4 per cent require a second shot or, critics say, may even be at risk of being processed while alive”.
While we have our own issues in Ireland with animal cruelty, such as in the pig industry, letting the Trump administration run ramshod over EU food regulations would be counterproductive in the long run. – Is mise,
TOM McELLIGOTT,
Listowel,
Co Kerry.
Butterflies and bogeys
Sir, – Like a million golfers and non-golfers last Sunday night, I cheered at every brilliant stroke our Rory McIlroy made as he painstakingly made his way to winning the Masters.
If we were stressed and traumatised by some of those bad shots, how must he have felt?
Neuropsychologist Ian Robertson gives a succinct account of how psychological pressures affect us, and how elite athletes can deal with them (“McIlroy’s reaction to double bogey was one of the strangest things at the Masters”, Opinion, April 16th).
The adrenalin, which is the catalyst for speedy and effective action, can also be the poison that turns one into a quivering wreck. Those who can harness its effects are the ones who succeed.
As my old tutor advised during my early days of speaking and performing in public: don’t expect to get the butterflies out of your stomach; you’ve just got to get them flying in formation. – Yours, etc,
RODNEY DEVITT,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Neuropsychologist Ian Robertson’s piece on Rory McIlroy’s mental resilience reminded me of Armagh’s magnificent All-Ireland win in 2024, 22 years after their last.
Like McIlroy learning to accept setbacks, the Armagh team showed remarkable composure under pressure – not just skill but true mental strength.
This victory felt like more than just a sporting triumph. It was a lesson in persistence, in carrying past disappointments lightly, and in performing not despite the pressure, but through it.
A long wait but worth every year. I just hope it’s not another 22. – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.
Sunset at Binn’s bridge
Sir, – Seeing Frank McNally’s beautiful image of Binn’s bridge sunset in yesterday’s Irish Times prompted me to contemplate how much modern technology has both enhanced our lives and robbed us of our imagination (“A literary stroll: Frank McNally explores the streets of Dublin’s north inner city”, An Irishman’s Diary, April 16th).
William Wordsworth, when seeing similar beauty upon Westminster Bridge was prompted to write: “Dull would he be of soul who could pass by / A sight so touching in it’s majesty.”
Every time I hear or read those lines I am transported to Westminster bridge. – Yours, etc,
JOHN McDWYER,
Carrick-on-Shannon,
Co Leitrim.
