Honouring Ernest Walton

Madam, - Toby Joyce (January 9th) deplores the fact that the Irish State ignored Ernest Walton's important scientific achievements…

Madam, - Toby Joyce (January 9th) deplores the fact that the Irish State ignored Ernest Walton's important scientific achievements. A fitting way to make amends would be for Ireland to join (albeit belatedly) the European research organisations CERN and ESO.

When the Large Hadron Collider starts operating at CERN in 2007, it will be over a million times more powerful than the accelerator built by Cockcroft and Walton in 1931-32. Irish scientists should be part of this adventure. - Yours etc.,

IAN ELLIOTT, Pinecroft, Dublin 18.