Sir, - Your Environmental Editor Frank McDonald, is correct in stating that Belfast "puts Dublin to shame" in building the Odyssey, a magnificent multiplex cinema, indoor arena and science centre which opened last year (Property, May 24th). It is a wonderful example of an all-round learning and entertainment facility for the people of Northern Ireland. It's a pity that we here in the South can't follow Belfast and other European cities in building world-class, family focused educational facilities. With the largest youth population of Europe it is amazing that we don't have a children's museum in the country; and it is a shame.
The Irish Children's Museum Ltd has been campaigning for a Dublin home for over three years now and has also identified the Stack A building as being an ideal location for this exciting and innovative project.
Children's Museums is the fastest growing cultural institution in the world. In the past 10 years alone, over 100 children's museums have started in the United States, bringing the total of such institutions there to 215. As interactive centres of curiosity and imagination, they encourage children of all ages and economic backgrounds to explore and discover the world around them through hands-on learning.
Ireland should celebrate its children. In a time of unprecedented prosperity there is now every reason for Ireland to be home to a world-class children's museum. For the cost of a mere £14 million we could build it, and much of that would come from business and individual donors. It would be the best investment this country ever made in its future. - Yours, etc.,
Orla Kennedy, Project Manager, Irish Children's Museum, Blackrock, Co Dublin.