Madam, - The residents of Shanganagh Vale in south Co Dublin are taking part in a plebiscite to decide whether or not to change the name of the estate to "Hawthorn Vale". No international observers will oversee the voting and I believe that Nato is not on standby. Nevertheless, the event is worthy of some attention.
I understand that the plebiscite was arranged because of the concern of some residents that our address was being confused with that of an estate of allegedly lower commercial value a few kilometres south of here.
As a result we are likely to lose a name that has been associated with this part of south Dublin for hundreds of years and which was most likely derived from the Irish for ant (seangáan), an insect which abounds on the banks of the local river.
I can only assume that this proposed vandalism is yet another manifestation of the avarice and Philistinism typical of our times. It threatens to deprive us of a genuine historical link with the past and destroy a unique connection with the natural history of our area.
There are very few place names in Ireland associated with the ant, which is usually described as having a sting and living in a very complex colony. Perhaps that is an appropriate description for us, the residents.
We may still be saved by the Hawthorne Effect, first noticed in the 1920s, which confirmed that the behaviour of people alters due to their awareness of being observed. - Yours, etc.,
DENIS O'SULLIVAN, Shanganagh Vale, Loughlinstown, Co Dublin.