Madam, – As an Australian living Down Under, I am very thankful to be receiving regular updates via your newspaper on the “Slow Coach from Rome” (“City break morphs into Dantes Inferno”, Michael Parsons, April 20th) My sister, Mary, is on that bus with the group of 50 or so passengers travelling by bus and ferry from Rome to Dublin.
She is a surgeon from Tasmania, Australia, and was due to fly on that doomed Aer Lingus flight last Thursday with your countrymen and women. She has a close association with Ireland, having worked there for quite a while, and was keen to return for a well-deserved break. However, it seems that despite the hardship of such a journey, she is probably having the adventure of her life. I take my hat off to the ingenuity of the Irish for organising such a trip. Safe journey to them all. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – I understand that some media reports have been minimising the difficulties tourists in Europe are facing by suggesting “let them get trains”. My daughter and I were to return home last Thursday morning but were turned back on the tarmac. We have been rebooking flights since, via family in Dublin: currently we are booked to fly to Dublin on Friday night. Last Saturday I decided to book a train for Paris as an insurance policy. The earliest train I could get to Paris is Monday, April 26th. The greatest problem we face is hotel accommodation and medicine. Luckily there is a never-ending supply of places to see in and around Rome. Still, we want to go home as soon as possible. – Is mise,
Madam, – Shouldn’t someone tell those TDs (of whatever party) trying so hard to get home to attend the Dáil after its Easter break, to not try too hard.
They can do less damage if they stay away (Home News, April 20th).
I hope none of them will try to put through whatever extra costs they incur getting home through their Dáil expenses. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Living in the sunny south east, we are expected to have blue skies. Sometimes we do. But since the volcano ash cloud has caused the grounding of transatlantic flights, the skies of south east Wexford have been completely clear.
Normally, our skies in the Carnsore region, even on good days, are occluded by aircraft contrail remnants. The local beacon on Forth Mountain guides aircraft towards Heathrow, Amsterdam Schipol and other airports, then back again to north Atlantic flight paths. So about 200 flights a day pass over us, from early morning to late afternoon.
The blue skies are never clear. Until now. It is therefore easy to see the effects that aircraft have on the skies for those living below.
It would be inappropriate for me to wish it to last. But the ash cloud has a silver lining after all! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – For now, the possibility of flying anywhere is very much up in the air. – Yours, etc,