Madam, - I enjoyed the recent review of Colin Rynne's Industrial Ireland 1750-1930 and feel that this excellent publication will help maintain an interest in this important aspect of our built heritage.
Our industrial heritage has long been ignored in many cases where housing development is taking place. The remains of Swiftbrook Paper Mills in Saggart, Co Dublin will soon disappear following a lack of strong directive by planners to the developer to incorporate the buildings into the housing development. It would be a wonderful focus point in a new housing scheme and remind people of the important part the mill played in the local community for over two hundred years where it was a source of employment in a predominantly agriculture area of south-west Dublin.
Swiftbrook Paper Mills were powered by the river Camac and had the largest mill wheel in Ireland. The mills were founded in the late 18th century and won prizes for paper quality at international competitions. The Round Tower and the Irish wolfhound were their watermarks and many older people in this country will remember these emblems when letter writing was the standard method of communication. - Yours, etc,
LIAM ROCHE, Castle Road, Saggart, Co Dublin.