Sir, - Seated in my Ikea armchair many miles from home, I watched incredulously as those men on their two-wheeled machines snaked their way around the roads of eastern Ireland. Yes, I was incredulous - not because the Tour de France was actually cascading through Ireland's rolling green hills, but because the cyclists didn't have to wade through mounds of litter to do so.
Having spent two weeks in Ireland in June, I can verify what other letter writers have been saying for months now on your Letter page: Ireland's litter problem is truly a disgrace and prompts the question: are the Irish Government or the various State tourism organisations really serious about promoting Ireland as a quality destination for tourists?
I travelled from Helsinki to Dublin on a Finnair charter along with 200 Finns. On the outward journey the talk on board the plane was positive and expectant. However, on the return leg, there were two subjects of conversation: "Litter, litter, everywhere" and how Dublin and Temple Bar resembled darkest Manchester on a rowdy Saturday night. I would not expect repeat visits to Ireland by these Finns, nor by other Scandinavians, most of whom travel to Ireland on the strength of Bord Failte brochures and do not take kindly to being told lies about how beautiful Ireland is, when that beauty is covered by debris of all kinds.
In Dublin, I rented a car and headed for Donegal. If the litter-strewn state of Dublin's streets was bad, much worse was to come. The roads between Dublin and Donegal were peppered with all kinds of rubbish, leaving me to wonder if central or local authorities care about the environment. Tourists do not spend their hard-earned money to visit Ireland and admire the litter.
From Donegal I headed down the coast to Galway. Again the streets and roadways were covered in litter, of all kinds and all shapes, with the most common types being supermarket plastic bags, cardboard boxes, crisp packets, beer cans, cigarette packets and fast-food packaging. The assortment of rubbish made it obvious that there is something deep in the Irish psyche which is intrinsically dirty.
But my travels down the west coast did not prepare me for the shock of visiting Limerick, which must surely rate as Europe's most litter-rich urban area. I do not exaggerate in the least when I say there was litter everywhere. Litter wardens, it appears, are about as plentiful in Limerick as litter bins and these were extremely thin on the ground. I have seen rubbish tips which are cleaner than Limerick city and county, and it gives me no pleasure to say that.
And so, I watched incredulously as the cyclists in the Tour de France pedalled majestically through a pristine Ireland, free of plastic bags, crisp packets, beer cans, cigarette packets and worse. What marvellous measures we are prepared to take to please the world's camera eye. Neatly cut grass, not a piece of litter, no potholes. Why on earth does it take a Tour de France before the powers that be suddenly discover the meaning of the legend, "Clean is green"? Please Ireland, clean up your act before it's too late. - Yours, etc., Ciaran Hogan,
Oravais, Finland.