Sir, - The headline on Eileen Battersby's full-page article (The Irish Times, December 2nd) jumped off the page: "Cashel is a heritage town - so how come it's full of garish murals and plastic windows?" Ms Battersby bemoans the "once handsome main street" which has "been diminished by a haphazard, often vulgar nod to its considerable heritage responsibilities". She pours forth on the evils of PVC windows which Cashel is "full of" and worries about the resultant release of harmful fumes into the atmosphere.
Wouldn't it just be great if heritage towns were perfect? If every window was a timber frame, if every mural was of high artistic merit, if every street was perfectly paved and no motorised traffic passed through? In fact, this could all be achieved if everybody moved out of town so that the heritage could be preserved to a pristine level.
Cashel is a living town with a great heritage. The community has made considerable strides in improving the townscape in recent years. The local authority has been consistently and successfully lobbied to make improvements which are sympathetic to the heritage of the town. Many people have worked in a voluntary capacity to make progress. Despite the constant throb of through traffic, the main street has improved immeasurably over the past number of years.
As with all these things, it's work in progress. But, Ms Battersby, you've got to be realistic. It is a gross injustice to all the people of Cashel to paint it as a town "full of garish murals and plastic windows". It makes a good, attention-grabbing headline, but it's far removed from reality. - Yours, etc.,
Billy Murphy, Whitethorn Road, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.