Sir, - The destruction of Swiftbrook Paper Mill in Saggart over last weekend marks another sad loss of the built heritage of this part of west Dublin.
The Swiftbrook industrial complex contained many features of 19th-century paper manufacturing and had evolved during the Industrial Revolution to produce high quality note paper such as Erin and Ancient Irish Vellum, known to generations of Irish people.
The mill complex was the last of many, such as Clondalkin, Drimnagh, Old Bawn and Templeogue mills, which utilised the Dublin/Wicklow water supply and formed a unique industrial aspect of an otherwise agricultural country.
The loss of the Saggart Mills complex is another reminder of just how vulnerable our heritage is to poor planning and the pressure for development regardless of cost to the heritage that should be passed on to future generations. - Yours, etc.,
Liam Roche, Saggart Historical Society, Castle Road, Saggart, Co Dublin.