A chara, - As longtime residents of St Teresa's Gardens we were shocked and dismayed at the one-sided Prime Time portrait of where we live. There is no doubt that the people who were interviewed were very courageous.
However, there was no positive coverage at all. It seemed as if the TV crew had already decided to focus on the negative aspects of some people's lives. The description of the tragic death of one of the residents was very insensitive.
There are many people here who are leading relatively normal lives. A good neighbour is a treasure and we have encountered many of those in our time here. The programme made no mention of the extensive refurbishment being carried out by the Corporation: new windows, new lights, gas central heating. The roofs are currently being retiled and chimneys replaced.
The local committee is doing sterling work to make this a better place to live. The Mercy Family Centre nearby has a creche and a variety of courses open to the young women in the flats.
I'd like to think that I'm speaking on behalf of a good many people here and I would also like to give thanks in an age of materialism and blaming. - Yours, etc.,
Mary Begley and Family, St Teresa's Gardens, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8.