Sir, Andy Smith (letters, July 25th) chastises Dublin city councillors for failing to exercise vigilance in relation to the future of the Markievicz Pool. All very tine, except that in at least some cases it is untrue. As a former city councillor, Andy Smith is well aware that these matters are determined first and foremost at committee meetings, before arriving on the agenda for the City.
At the relevant General Purpose Committee meeting along with several other councillors, I secured an undertaking that Markievicz would remain as a public pool under the authority and control of Dublin Corp oration. In addition, I demanded that a meeting be held between Dublin Corporation officials and representatives of the local community, to outline in detail the proposals. This meeting duly took place last July 12th.
Unfortunately, some saw the opportunity to whip up fears about the future of the pool and attempted to make political capital from the legitimate concern of the community. A publicly owned, publicly available, refurbished Markievicz Pool remains as a priority objective for this councillor, and for my colleagues in the Labour Party. Our votes and our actions on Dublin City Council testify to that commitment. Yours, etc., Beech Hill Drive, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.