Sir, – I fully concur with Louis O’Flaherty's views (January 3rd) about the risible decision by Dublin City Council to close College Green and charge visitors to celebrate the festival within the corralled area. Perhaps this is just a first step by the council: will the Halfpenny Bridge be tolled once again? Why not have a rolling system, whereby charges will be made for all roads/pavements leading to Croke Park, Dalymount Park and the Aviva Stadium, to be followed by similar tolls on streets/roads in the vicinity of Dublin's railway stations and the Bus Áras?
The Gathering would take on a whole new meaning, this time in the realm of relieving citizens and visitors of their hard-earned euros. Yeats’s reference to fumbling in a greasy till continues to be very apt a century later – Yours, etc,
PATRICK JUDGE,
Rochestown Avenue,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.