Madam, - It's a tribute to the new regime at the Abbey Theatre that it has quickly re-fitted the theatre, without any great expense, to eliminate some of the most obvious defects (The Irish Times, April 14th).
This suggests that the theatre's proposed move to George's Dock may not be necessary after all. It was always striking that no plausible reason was given why the existing building could not be redeveloped and expanded to the highest modern standards and design.
In any event, it would be great to see the current theatre retained long-term in that part of the north inner city - which cannot afford to lose cultural beacons - even if the new theatre goes ahead in Docklands. It was extremely encouraging to read that the Abbey's director, Fiach MacConghail, believes that "it should be retained as a theatre space, irrespective of what happens", though it is not clear where the Government stands. In deference to the history of the site, perhaps the old theatre should retain the Abbey title, while its Docklands sister could be the National Theatre. Perhaps any political party that cares about Dublin's north inner city or culture could enter this win-win proposition in its election manifesto. - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL SMITH, Ormond Quay Upper, Dublin 7.