Sir, - P.J. Maloney (June 4th) has an obvious debilitating negative-mindset problem. Can he tell us what is wrong with the English design, German manufacture and US erection of the O'Connell Street spire? It may have escaped his attention that there was an international competition, in which I believe there were also many Irish entries.
If he cares to look to the rest of the world (which he may grudgingly admit that we are part of), he will see such familiar national symbols as the Statue of Liberty (French design), Sydney Opera House (Scandinavian design) and the Glass Pyramid at the Louvre (Chinese design). Do any of these countries exhibit any xenophobic feelings with regard to these monuments?
To finish the man-and-granddaughter conversation on O'Connell Street in the year 2050: "Yes sweetheart, Ireland became the great nation that it is today based on a social structure put in place by the English before independence, a people who also gave us much of our cherished built heritage. Gandon, a Londoner, designed O'Connell Bridge, the Custom House and the Four Courts, which are nearby examples. We then established our proud nation under the leadership of our American-born Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera. Later we joined the European Union, to which Britain and Germany contributed much money to subsidise the construction of our national roads network and our farming industry.
Let us also note that America filled our country with factories which brought us jobs and wealth a-plenty. The American Fund for Ireland and further contributions from the EU in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement also made significant contributions to our nation."
On second thoughts, I think that the above imaginary conversation may be too much for the make-believe granddaughter, or the real P.J. Maloney, to comprehend! - Yours, etc., Mark Doherty,
Rosetta Road, Belfast 6.