Madam, - Having spent an afternoon at Airfield recently, I was interested to read Rose Mary Logue's critical comments about the trustees of the estate (Opinion & Analysis, June 6th).
On the face of it, Airfield would seem to be thriving, judging by the number of families with young children who came to see the sheep-shearing demonstrations last Saturday.
Many of them, like ourselves, probably made purchases at the restaurant and the garden shop as well as paying an entrance fee. If to this is added income from cultural events and courses, the yearly turnover must be considerable. So why is that apparently not turned into profit?
It may well be of course that some parts of the programme at Airfield make more money than others, but it is still hard to see why the estate as a whole should not be a vast concern.
The suggestion that the Office of Public Works could take over the estate seems to be a sound one.
The OPW has the experience and expertise to study the way in which Airfield is run at the moment and make the required changes to ensure its survival as a valuable public amenity. If the trustees cannot fulfil their obligations to the late owners, they should voluntarily call in assistance before Airfield is completely lost to the public. - Yours, etc,
CHRISTINE MILLS, Chelmsford Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.