Sir, - As visitors to Dublin we were outraged by the comments by the chief executive of Dublin Tourism about homeless people (The Irish Times, January 16th). Presumably, Mr Magee's comments that gardai should enforce the law in this regard stem from his concern with tourists' perceptions of Dublin. In our view, Mr Magee's callous and cynical attitude reflects far more unfavourably on Dublin than the fact that homeless people seek refuge in the streets.
That there are Irish citizens living without the basic necessities of warmth and shelter in a booming economy is a national disgrace; that Mr Magee presumes that visitors such as ourselves would welcome the arrest and imprisonment of homeless Irish citizens because they offend our delicate sensibilities is a gross impertinence.
If the relevant authorities cannot meet the demand for public housing, perhaps Dublin Tourism should consider making a substantial financial contribution towards housing the homeless. Thus, Mr Magee's grand vision of unobstructed footpaths would be realised, the homeless would share the spoils of the tourist boom, and gardai and the judiciary would be freed to tackle the critical civic issues of corporate corruption, violence and drugs that appear to be so prevalent in Dublin.
The perception of Dublin, implicit in Mr Magee's comments, with which we are left is that the Celtic Tiger, bloated by success, is now prepared to devour her own children. It is not an image to make any of us sleep soundly in our warm, dry beds. - Yours, etc., Michael Kelly, Catherine Lawler,
Lewin Street, Lyneham, Canberra, Australia.