Madam, - As a former occupant of the Lecky chair in Trinity College Dublin I wish to associate myself with what Terry Barry said in his letter of October 30th.
One of the reports by external academics on the Department of Medieval History, to which he refers, emphasised that apart from Cambridge, London and Oxford universities, Trinity had the finest department of medieval history in Britain or Ireland. Another external assessment reported that it was the best department of medieval history in the world. How, then can the chair be allowed to remain vacant for so long?
It is typical of what has happened to higher education in Ireland for many years now. What matters is what the "experts" call "productivity" - that is, producing graduates who can help the so-called "Celtic Tiger" to progress. Education in the fullest sense of the word no longer exists. This is all the worse since many years ago research which I conducted proved without a doubt that what employers in Ireland and England wanted was educated applicants for jobs (such as graduates in medieval history) whom they could train themselves, not those with "expert" qualifications who knew already how the job could best be done.
One more point: the Lecky chair was well endowed. What has happened to the money? Does it now support more "productive" academic posts in the university? - Yours, etc.,
JAMES LYDON,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.