Sir, - A recent Irish Times report and Irishman's Diary concerning a student's campaign to save the Jubilee Hall at Blackrock College have highlighted the dated policies of the school when dealing with built heritage.
In a tradition going back to the turn of the last century, when Williamstown village was destroyed to create larger pitches, the school has exercised these policies in brutally destructive development plans. While Father Casey, the college president, is quoted as saying it was "marvellous that youngsters are very vocal in the best sense of word", he obviously does not intend to listen to what they have to say.
It has been said that the Jubilee Hall has already required "quite a lot" of repair work. The Jubilee Hall has indeed had dry rot, but this was in a very small area of the building. It is just the right size and architectural expression for the site, prominent from the fields and in close proximity to the old "quad". And while it is said that the hall was used last in January to stage a play, it has been used intensively throughout the school year and until two weeks ago for exams. Father Casey is "sure it wouldn't pass any tests". Isn't that true of the mansions of Merrion Square? If it was so unsound it would have been wise to have stopped using it well before now.
As mentioned, the school has a less than admirable reputation in its handling of architecture. Two Georgian houses, Somerset and Clareville, were razed in the face of opposition from An Taisce, one to make way for a car park. The pulpit, altar and choir were removed from the outstanding chapel during Vatican II-inspired alterations. PVC windows have been extensively used on Willow Park, an imposing house dating back to 1760. Buildings in the quadrangle were stripped of their decorative pediments and cupolas.
If the new buildings are anything like their recent counterparts, they will resemble Portacabins. However, out of this field, the school is one of the most reputable in the country, and one hopes this will be reflected by the preservation of the hall. - Yours, etc.,
Andrew Holohan, Idrone Terrace, Blackrock, Co Dublin.