Sir, - I was amazed to read Prof Roger Stalley's objections (October 27th) to the re-roofing of Cashel Cathedral. Perhaps the sedilia at Holycross are now pointless. Perhaps no one will sit in there now, but did anyone sit in there when Holycross was a ruin? At least, since its restoration, Holycross is now in use as a centre of worship.
He deplores the restoration, in the 19th century, of the two ancient Dublin cathedrals. Would he prefer them to have been left in the ruinous condition into which they had fallen, before the munificence of Henry Row, in Christ Church, and Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, in St Patrick's, gave them back to Dublin for future generations to enjoy?
He says that "many visitors assume that they are Victorian, not medieval buildings." Does it really matter? They have become, particularly in the past 35 years, very vibrant parts of the life and worship of our capital city, which would be much poorer without them.
Does he not realise that the visitors he mentions would not throng in their present great numbers to two centre-city ruins as roofless as Cashel? - Yours, etc., Frank Prenton Jones,
Hartstown, Clonsilla, Dublin 15.