Sir, - Your readers should know that the Messines Town Council has accepted temporary responsibility for the care of the Peace Park during the year 2000. The park is inspected every day, including Saturday, by a council official, and all necessary caretaking needs are immediately dealt with. The grass is kept neat and tidy and the walks are kept free of weeds, nettles, docks and grass. Suggesting that the park is over grown with docks and nettles (An Irishman's Diary, August 17th) is not true, and unfair comment. The misspelling Kevin Myers referred to on a recently erected noticeboard is more a printer's error working in a different language than anything else. It has been corrected.
It is well known that the park and round tower have been constructed by public subscription, mostly by the people of Ireland, and this council is aware of the increasing difficulties there are in maintaining an adequate fundraising programme. We are satisfied that it is no easier in Ireland than it is in Belgium and maybe Mr Myers, rather than being negative, while he might not wish to be, could adopt a more helpful note in future articles.
We have many visitors from Ireland and a substantial number call to these offices and they are mostly emotionally pleased with what has been constructed and is being maintained. They are all so humbly grateful that something at last has been done to remember all the people from Ireland who died.
It is the policy of the Messines Town Council to deal immediately with any little concern a visitor might bring to its attention and the matters mentioned in the Kevin Myers article would have been dealt with accordingly. There was a problem with the planting of the 260 Irish yew trees which died but the problem was not related to them being hastily planted out of season. All the trees died in the winter 19981999. Our town council cannot be blamed for the trees dying, because as a council we are only responsible during the year 2000.
Your readers will understand that the Peace Park is not yet completed and that all developing sites are always subject to some criticism, but far from being neglected, the park is now becoming much the pride of Messines and is attracting large groups of visitors from Europe and Great Britain as well as Ireland.
The council has asked me to extend an invitation to Mr Myers on his next visit. We are sure we both have positive things to do to develop this wonderful memorial to the Irish and help to make the park even greater and the pride of Ireland, North and South. - Yours, etc.,
Patrick Florissoone, Town Clerk, Jean Liefooghe, Burgomaster, Stad Mesen, Belgium.