Sir - I read with alarm, and a certain incredulity, Uinsionn MacDubhghaill's article on the fencing off of Uggool beach, near Killary Harbour in Co Mayo. He states: "Now the Council has informed the Keep Ireland Open Campaign that because the beach has been fenced off for the past five years, it is precluded from taking any action to restore access".
If this is so, are they serious? It is actually more than five years since this beautiful beach was fenced off by a local farmer - to the dismay of people like myself, who had always enjoyed their right to walk along it or just admire it at close quarters.
An active campaign, much publicised in The Irish Times, has been going on for years to get the offending barbed wire fence removed from below the waterline - at least, so that a right of way can be restored. Is Mayo County Council seriously telling us that because some years have past during which it has done little or nothing about the situation, the farmer in question has now won and is the sole beneficiary of a very scenic beach?
We've listened to all the arguments about people crossing his land. The one relevant fact is that a public beach is no longer public, no right of way has been granted, and an area which rightfully belongs to all the people is to become a private haven. Will this now apply to other beaches adjacent to private farms? Has a precedent been set? Yours, etc.,
Cross Avenue,
Dun Laoghaire.