Sir, - Poor old Kevin Myers! He came down to Clifden at the height of the busy season, when it seems that the world wants to crowd into this area, and he experienced traffic delays. Later, he went to the pub and the bar staff just weren't as friendly or as civil as he expected (could it be they were busy too?).
"A day-long traffic jam"? For a short time every July and August this place gets seriously busy and people are rushed. If you're driving through Clifden, for example, you'll probably be delayed for a short time. That's all. Relax - you're on holiday, remember? Someone charges Dublin prices for a bottle of wine (locals have to pay that too). Is there really a story there?
There is no day-long traffic jam, especially not from October to May/June, when the only thing to do for some of us is count the empty holiday homes and take photos of favourite spots before some carbuncle goes up. Kevin Myers says that Irish scenery is not that special. Maybe the reason people appreciate it is because it is still relatively unblemished. But that's slowly changing, and that's where the real story is, I think - here, and in other parts.
I read and sympathised with David Rose's article (The Irish Times, September 13th) and I acknowledge that as the tourist industry grows certain traditional values might be forgotten. But that was a more measured and mature type of journalism than Kevin Myers's black-and-white, strangely traffic-fixated piece.
Please do return to Connemara, Kevin, but come in December or January to avoid the traffic. - Yours, etc.,
From Ralph Lavelle
Main Street, Clifden, Co Galway.