Madam, – As I hail from Co Louth and live in Dublin, I have a vested interest in the construction of any bypass that might make the journey easier. However, I share the disappointment of Hugh McFadden (January 29th) at the decision to place the bypass east of Slane village, closer than may be necessary to one of only two Unesco world heritage sites in the country.
In assessing the price of convenience, it might be worthwhile to reflect on what the late Douglas Adams had to say on the subject: “Bypasses are devices that allow some people to dash from point A to point B very fast while other people dash from point B to point A very fast. People living at point C, being a point directly in between, are often given to wonder what’s so great about point A that so many people from point B are so keen to get there, and what’s so great about point B that so many people from point A are so keen to get there. They often wish that people would just once and for all work out where the hell they wanted to be.” – Yours, etc,