Madam, - Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary of October 13th is another example of his shallow understanding of many of the issues on which he purports to comment.
His lack of understanding of Travellers situation and the obvious bile he reserves for this community go far beyond what is acceptable even for so-called controversialist such as he.
The fact that The Irish Times allowed him to print a rehash of an article that appeared in the Sunday Telegraph of October 3rd shows how lazy his writing in regard to Travellers is.
He also managed to contradict himself in writing on the same topic. Essentially his argument about Travellers is that they seek too much from the State and that the State panders to this by creating a culture of dependency. This Mr Myers critiques as the problem in Dunsink. Yet in the article which appeared in the Sunday Telegraph, where the word "Cottenham" was basically inserted instead of "Dunsink", Mr Myers managed to be critical of Travellers who appear to have done exactly what he advocates Travellers should do - i.e. make their own provision and stop relying on State handouts.
As to the element in both articles where Mr Myers produces a diatribe of abuse against the Traveller community, this I won't even credit with a comment. My only request to Mr Myers is that, in whatever stance he advocates to improve the lot of Travellers, he at least be consistent.- Yours, etc.,
DAVID JOYCE,
Legal Policy Officer,
Irish Traveller Movement
Legal Unit,
Dublin 2.
Madam, - Reading Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary of October 13th on the state of Dunsink Lane in Finglas was depressing. The contrast between his description of the lane today and how I remember it when growing up in West Cabra in the 1940s was startling.
The Royal Canal is the natural border for West Cabra. At that time, over the railway level crossing and the humped back Cardiff Bridge on the canal, there was nothing but open country. A short distance away, meandering through the countryside, is the slow-moving Tolka River where we swam and fished during the long summer holidays. There were some cottages nearby at a fork in the road that took one to Finglas village on the right and on the left to Ratoath village, which could have been on another planet for all we knew.
A quarter of a mile up the Ratoath Road one reached Dunsink Lane. Along the way we would pick blackberries in the autumn and climb over gates into fields to get the juiciest ones.
The lane itself was gorgeous. The trees and bushes growing on both sides of the narrow straight road touched each other to form an arch that only God could design. We had no idea where the lane led to or how long it was. But we did discover one thing there that left us gobsmacked when, for the first time, we peered through the gates of Dunsink Observatory.
I have often wondered how the staff have come to terms with what must now be a hell-hole. What did they do to deserve being constantly under siege for the past 20 years or more? Dublin Corporation opened the biggest refuse dump in the country directly opposite the observatory's front door. Lorry-loads of Dublin's refuse were driven up the lane for years, destroying what was once a beautiful country road. The area became rat-infested and remains so today.
To add to the desolation, the Corporation opened a halting site for travellers nearby, which only added to the problem. Did anyone in authority not see how insensitive the plan was and its impact on the observatory? How embarrassing it must be for the staff when overseas astronomers visit them. Or have they been told diplomatically not to call? - Yours etc.,
BRENDAN McREDMOND,
Hazelbrook Road,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.