Sir, - I am delighted to note that the Farmleigh Estate on the edge of the Phoenix Park has been bought by the Government to be used extensively for cultural purposes. For a number of years I have been trying to gain access to a pond in the grounds of the estate where an uncommon species of Irish dragonfly, namely the black-tailed skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum, was recorded back in the early 1970s.
It has not subsequently been recorded there due, in part, to a lack of interest but mainly due to access difficulties. I have written to the owners on a number of occasions for access to determine the species' status at the pond but to no avail. As a new acquisition to the State I would hope that the grounds will become open to the public at the State's earliest convenience.
As a matter of passing interest, the other ponds in the Phoenix Park, such as the Quarry pond and the Furry Glen pond, are two of the only reliable sites in Co Dublin for the brown hawker dragonfly, Aeshna grandis, one of our largest insects. Also present is the common red darter dragonfly, Sympetrum striolatum. Whereas the black-tailed skimmer is on the wing from late May to July, the latter two species are on the wing from July to September, for those who care to observe them. - Yours, etc.,
Peter Doyle, Beechwood Lawn, Killiney, Co Dublin.