Sir, - I write to congratulate Nuala O'Faolain on her excellent column about Ballyseedy Wood, Co Kerry (June 23rd), drawing the attention of readers to this fine old broadleaf woodland, and alerting them to the current threat to a part of it from a proposed new road scheme.
I read the response from Judy O'Connor (July 18th) and guess I am another of those outsiders who have had the temerity to voice an opinion on the subject:
However, the immense ecological value and the scarcity of old broadleaf woodland of this kind makes any loss of any of it, anywhere, very much the concern of us all.
Then, in this particular instance, there is the small matter of the millions of pounds of European Union money which is being sought to pay for the road. That's why the decision rests in Europe - and surely no-one can consider it reasonable to expect those asked to finance a scheme to pay up, but it's none of their business how the money is to be spent!
Considering the area this massive road will actually occupy, the havoc of the consequent necessity to re-route the river back through the woodland, and manoeuvring space for machinery to carry out all the works, eight acres can be regarded as a conservative estimate of the loss to Ballyseedy Wood.
Like a lot of the rest of the country, Kerry relies heavily upon the tourist trade and we need to remind ourselves that what draws the visitors to rural Ireland is the desire to enjoy the rare quality of a world-famous landscape, not the desire to admire grandiose new roads built at its expense. - Yours, etc., Delia Burt,
Fenit,
Co Kerry.