Sir, Fr John McCallion (Letters, November, 27th) writes on the subject of the cross on Carrauntoohil, “what is so offensive about a structure which you can see only if your up close at it or through the viewing of binoculars? What next: a bill in the Dáil for the removal of . . . the Papal Crosses at Phoenix Park and Drogheda?”.
Well now that Fr McCallion mentions it – yes, a bill in the Dáil for the removal of the Papal Cross in the Phoenix Park most definitely.
No need for “up close” or “binoculars” here.
This chunk of steel is 35.3m (116 ft) high and a blight on a beautiful landscape, which happens to belong to the people of Ireland and not the Catholic Church. People enter this park to escape from such monstrosities, only to have this thing stare them in the face.
Fr McCallion has every right to his religious symbols but he must learn to appreciate that size is everything. – Yours, etc, DECLAN KELLY, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Sir, Colm O’Brien, who describes himself as “. . . a recent climber of Carrauntoohil”, welcomed the anti-democratic act of vandalising the cross at the summit of Carrauntoohil (Letters, November 25th). Mr O’Brien’s attitude is contemptuous, disrespectful and reeks of metropolitan condescension.
The cross is recognised as an important navigational aid for inexperienced or “recent” climbers as well as the more experienced climber. There has been a cross at the summit of Carrauntoohil since the 1950s so the structure is exempt from any planning process Mr O’Brien cares to advocate.
All of the local people I have encountered have expressed sorrow about the incident. These people are a typical range of Irish people who have a diverse range of religious beliefs or no religious beliefs at all. The Irish countryside is more than a mere playground for metropolitans. – Yours, etc,
JOHN McNAMARA,
Institute of Technology,
Tralee,
Co Kerry