Madam, - When is Vincent Browne going to move on and stop making the same short-sighted and simplistic arguments about the purchase of Farmleigh House by the State?
He quotes triumphantly (Opinion, November 24th) from an Irish Times report last Monday which stated that Kofi Annan and his entourage were the only foreign visitors to stay at Farmleigh in 2004. Mr Browne suggests that this proves Farmleigh is a gross waste of taxpayers' money.
However, he conveniently ignores other relevant facts from the same report, namely that during 2004 the House was also used for 108 Government events related to the EU presidency, 100 meetings to plan EU events, and weekly Cabinet meetings during the presidency. Farmleigh also hosted 25 EU leaders and the world's media during the Day of Welcomes for the 10 new EU member-states on May 1st.
Mr Browne suggests that Kofi Annan would have been happier staying in Wynn's Hotel. Would he also suggest that we should have hosted the 25 heads of state and government in a B&B? And where would he have held the official celebrations to mark the historic expansion of Europe last May? A crumbling parish hall, perhaps, or the back room of his local pub?
The report from which Mr Browne quoted selectively also stated that 71,300 people have visited the house since it was reopened to the public in July at the end of the EU Presidency. It seems that many Irish taxpayers are voting with their feet and getting value for their investment by enjoying a beautiful and historic property . - Yours, etc.,
FRANK O'LEARY, Hybreasal, South Circular Road, Dublin 8.