Sir, - Mary Mulvihill will undoubtedly have struck a chord with many people in her delightful Irishwoman's Diary of July 7th in which she describes the joys of detailed local maps. But surely her rejection of laminated maps, on the grounds of bulk, is nothing more than rhetorical indulgence.
She quite rightly refers to the excellent mapping work in Ireland of Harvey Maps and of Tim Robinson. But, in making complaint against the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, she neglects the Aqua 3 laminated 1:50.000 ISO maps which cover the key mountain areas of Kerry and Wicklow, readily available in Irish outdoor stores. Weighing some 95 gms - against their paper equivalent of c.75gms - they are hardly an onerous burden. I would add that, as a map user, not a salesman, I have no pecuniary interest in making this point.
Ms Mulvihill also quotes the OSI's spokesman, Stephen Curran, as suggesting that the future may lie in maps downloaded onto palmtop computers. She says she'd prefer paper maps. Quite right. I'd prefer to be lost and relying on a wet, disintegrating OSI map and instinct than on flat batteries and mere hope. Yours etc.,
John Stanley, Kincora Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3.