Sir, - It has always been a mystery why Ireland seems tied to the past and no way more so than in the element of architecture. Everything must be Georgian and anything of a newer trend seems condemned before it is even presented. Surely lessons should have been learned by now and, while Georgian should be maintained, each new generation should be allowed to express itself.
The view from the top of the new eminence in Smithfield gives the impression of a flat wasteland with few, if any, notable buildings and, in my view, the proposal for the dockland would break what seems to have become a mould and give our descendants something to admire about their past.
Two generations ago, there was a move in London to pull down what was considered, at the time, a monstrosity, to wit, Kings Cross Station. A generation later, it was considered one of the greater London buildings. Sydney Opera House had its own detracters as had the Empire State building. At some time, and it should be now, we will have to raise our sights and think big. We should learn from the lesson of St Patrick's Cathedral in New York.There were screams of sacrilege when high buildings were mooted for its vicinity. Now it is a haven of peace among those same high buildings, which is what a church should surely be. - Yours, etc.,
Desmond Carr,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.