Sir, - I read with both interest and apprehension your recent reports about the development on our islands. I cringe when I hear statements about tasteful development, holiday homes, interpretative centres, coffee shops, roads, etc. Surely most of our islands are among the last places in Ireland not touched by our mad rush to build and refurbish.
The beauty and spiritual aspects of these places need no interpretation; they speak for themselves. Perhaps those who cannot comprehend this should not be there! As Frank McDonald said on a recent radio programme, if people continue development at the current rate, the fragile beauty of Ireland will be destroyed. I am sure there are others who would urge those responsible for the future of these unique places to think carefully about how to preserve them for future generations. - Yours, etc.,
George Walsh, Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.