LIAM O GEIBHEANNAIGH,
A chara, - Seldom will a public monument so aptly encapsulate the mood of a nation, as will the new Spire of Dublin. An edifice that is "non-functional, non-contextual and sterile" (An Taisce, The Irish Times, December 9th). It reflects the political and moral desert at the heart of Irish society.
With economic success, many people have lost self-respect, both in relation to stimulant abuse and personal conduct, while few in authority feel a need to give good example. We are subjected to an insidious form of censorship, a neutralising process known as "political correctness", when to speak plainly, to be patriotic or to promote Christian values, is to invite censure.
The placing of this massive symbol of official Ireland's neutral value status, so close to the GPO - a monument resonant with Irish and patriotic values - marks a notable victory for the dictatorship of political correctness. To future generations, the spire will commemorate the campaign to divest Ireland of its Irishness, as seen in its traditional values and way of life.
The spire is also apt in having been erected during the reign of Bertie Ahern, when multi-nationalism replaced nationalism as Fianna Fáil and Government policy, and the nation state was converted into a market economy. Under his leadership, it also became a by-word for official incompetence and bungling in dealing with immigration.
And, of course, this neutral edifice will also reflect the vacuity of leadership in the church of the majority, when it abandoned preaching the Commandments and its general war on sin, in a vain quest for popularity in a society that increasingly sees it as irrelevant to daily life. - Is mise,
LIAM Ó GÉIBHEANNAIGH,
Áth an Ghainimh,
Co Átha Cliath.
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Madam, - I suggest that the edifice in O'Connell Street be called "The Point of Irish Neutrality".
It has the required characteristics. It is a nice idea, we can all talk about it and have an opinion, it points at some vague point in space and it has absolutely nothing to do with events in Shannon Airport. - Yours, etc.,
TERRY GILLESPIE,
Stradbally,
Co Laois.
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Madam, - Given the "spike's" location, I suggest "The North Pole" as a suitable name. - Yours, etc.,
SEÁN REGAN,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.