HELEN DELANEY,
Sir, - The Irish Times's usual balance is listing due to Frank McDonald's continuous crusade against people wanting to live in rural Ireland. (August 20th).
Within Europe, this country has had a unique modernising experience, retaining a large number of small and part-time farmers. This has happened, not, as Frank McDonald would argue, because farmers like flogging land but because the Irish, singularly within Europe, have a particular bond with the land. The recent foot and mouth scare showed massive national support for rural Ireland and the psychological closeness of most to the rural living experience.
Wanting to live in rural Ireland is a distinct cultural characteristic of the Irish, a fact Mr McDonald does not address as he tries to incite urban/rural conflict with derogatory terms, such as "bungalow blitz" and comments about "farmers flogging land". Massive generalisation is an offensive and dangerous practice.
Septic tanks can be environmentally safe and it takes less than a blanket ban on rural houses to make them so. It appears Frank McDonald's favourite snacks are red herrings.
That the conservation movement continues to allow a small, well-educated though blinkered, urban dwelling elite to set their agendas, and to do so in an offensive and unbalanced manner through selective interpretation of the national and cultural heritage, is regrettable.
I commend Minister Ó Cuiv for defending that rural dwelling tradition that is particular to this countries heritage. - Yours, etc.,
HELEN DELANEY, Timahoe, Co Laois
A chara, - Is it absolutely necessary to have Frank McDonald waffling on every day in your newspaper about planning? We fought for 800 years to defeat the invaders and free this country.
And now that we have it (or at least 26 bits of it!), surely we can do what we like?
Living in a rural area as I do, I'm tired of waking up and seeing green pastures, oak trees and hedgerows, not to mention hearing the bittern cry or the lark in the clear air!
At last, in Mr Ó Cuív, we have a TD who can finish the job. Let's all get behind him. Let's spread the mantle of concrete and tar macadam throughout our country from Croagh Patrick to Ireland's Eye, from Lough Erne to Lambs head - soon all Ireland will be ours! - Is mise,
KEN BUGGY, Lismore, Co Waterford