Sir, – Martin McDonald (Letters, April 2nd) is glad to see the removal of trees in Merrion Square Park.
He likened his daily commute to work through the park as “being lost in the Stygian reaches of a deep forest” which he says was not the best preparation for a day’s work.
The beauty of these gardens for me was always that they gave a choice: one could enjoy the rolling lawns, flowers and shrubs, always kept in immaculate condition, and then, by turning a corner, feel that one was suddenly thrown into the wonderful Stygian reaches of a deep forest. How refreshing!
The trees have not been felled, they have been murdered, not by the gardeners, but by whoever ordered them to commit this crime.
Similar orders appear to have been given to gardeners in St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham. Once a beautiful oasis of trees, it is slowly being transformed into a Disneyworld park.
Mr McDonald might look to the source of the “gloom” he experiences when he is surrounded by trees, trees which by the way, did not request his presence.
It was not their fault that they were taller and more beautiful than he. They too probably took one look at him every morning as he passed and said to each other: “How gloomy he looks”.
May the trees rest in peace after a life of service to our species. – Yours, etc, DECLAN KELLY Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Sir, – Dublin is the only city in the world to have so many magnificent Georgian squares.
Looking at prints from the early days it seems the designers planned places of ornamental gardens and walks to enhance the squares, not wooded areas where views of the classical buildings would be compromised by large trees.
They knew the capital had the Phoenix Park, for the cultivation of trees and homes for wild life right in the centre of the city.
I would also imagine Wide Streets Commission planners never intended large trees in the city centre. – Yours, etc, JOE RYAN, Churchtown, Dublin 14.